Sand Printer Provides Seagulls With Reading Material

Ever wanted to print a document viewable from space? Without petitioning HP to make a 100ft tall printer with ink cartridges to match, you couldn’t have found much luck.

Until now that is – because the sand printer by conceptual designers Zanadesign produces letters several feet tall. The only things to worry about are the tide, and that the Spanish wheel only prints the words ‘Cadiz 2012.’

The brainchild of Tomás Silva Alonso, a graduate of London’s Royal College of Art, the sand printer is powered by positioning small children inside the circumference, and convincing them to push.

Though the words ‘Cadiz 2012’ commemorate 200 years of the Spanish constitution, meaning that the wheel was created in the spirit of peace, how the children are made to push we can’t imagine.

The sand printer came into being after Alonso sent the idea to Cadiz council, winning first prize in a ‘Promote Cadiz 2012’ competition. The council soon contacted Alonso, and asked him to develop a working model.

Made of inorganic materials, the sand printer impacts on the beach without making a negative impression on the environment. What’s more, it gives the seagulls something to peruse whilst chewing on stolen chips.

Companies Settle With Canon Over Ink Patent Infringement

999inks.co.uk News: Companies Settle With Canon Over Ink Patent Infringement


A patent infringement lawsuit raised by Canon against five companies in Japan has been settled. The suit concerned the firms’ alleged recreation of Canon’s LED-equipped ink cartridges - a patented innovation – in their own cartridges without permission. The settlement means the five companies concerned are agreed not to sell, import or display the patented cartridges. Canon has agreed to drop the lawsuit.

Canon’s preliminary injunction for the lawsuit was petitioned on 31 October last year. Since then the Japanese ink merchants have agreed to halt sales of 28 products of 3 brands. Each of these products, though non-genuine, is compatible with Canon printers.

Canon’s press release – dated 17 December – contains an (almost) apologia for the lawsuit. It states: ‘Canon filed a patent infringement suit for preliminary and permanent injunctions because the company determined that the abovementioned actions infringed its intellectual property rights.’ This self-justification accompanies a grace period in which the Japanese companies must dispose of their inventories of the patented ink cartridges. The closing date is the 31st March 2010.

Drug Dealer Squirreled £1,700 In Printer

999Inks.co.uk News: Drug Dealer Squirreled £1,700 In Printer


A 20 year old male who kept cannabis in his home for a drug dealer squirreled £1,700 in payment inside his printer, a Liverpool Crown Court hearing found this Tuesday. The home of Ashley Moorcroft was searched by police the day after he was caught holding a bag of cannabis and £1,825 in his car. Pleading guilty for possession of the drug, Moorcroft has been sentenced to 6 months in prison and ordered to perform 180 hours unpaid work.

According to a 17 December 2009 article by Linda Roughley at Crosbyherald.com, police caught Moorcroft on the evening of May 1st in Blundellsands. He was seen walking to a Silver BMW from his own car, where on return he was questioned by police. Officers noted the strong smell of cannabis in the vehicle, and Moorcroft’s extreme nervousness. On searching the car, the police found a bag of cannabis in the roof lining of the driver’s side.

Initially Moorcroft protested that he didn’t know to whom the cannabis belonged. However, he soon conceded that he was holding it for a drug dealer. On being arrested and taken into custody, Moorcroft was found with £1,825 about his person. It was on the following day that police searched his home on Merrilocks Road, and discovered £1,700 hidden inside his printer. The money was stored in the ink cartridge slot.

Moorcroft pleaded guilty to counts of possessing cannabis and concealing criminal property, when his trial was held at the Liverpool Crown Court. His 6 months sentence has been suspended for 12 months, and he must perform 180 hours unpaid work.

Firms Save 30% with Managed Print Solutions

Print News: Firms Save 30% with Managed Print Solutions


Report by Market research Firm InfoTrends shows consultancies lead to reduced office expenses.

The market research firm InfoTrends has released a report stating that ‘prime markets’ including schools and legal firms stand to save up to 30% on printing processes with managed services. The survey, which involved 500 respondents, documents the rise in managed service solutions and potential growth for the sector. For those that don’t know, firms turn to managed service providers to optimize their office environment – and where documents are concerned, their printing processes. The InfoTrends results are based on criteria including: printing habits, hardware investments, managed service investments, and economic impact.

Though independent consultancies offer managed services, it is also possible to acquire these from your hardware provider. In the print industry, famous brands including Hewlett Packard, Canon and Lexmark each offer ‘complete enterprise solutions.’ For example, back in November Kodak announced an agreement with US distribution firm D&H to help firms ‘reduce their paper workflows and increase digital capabilities.’ This week, Pitney Bowes has signed with Kilburn Office Automation, a supplier of postage technologies and a distributor of copiers and printers, to help the transition to digital ‘post and stamp solutions’ across India.

The report by InfoTrends will give much-needed impetus to firms looking to make savings through efficient office management. Just last week, Japanese printing brand Ricoh released a report critical of the sluggish manner in which European offices are adopting document management. In spite of agreement of the potential benefits, most companies have not implemented even half the available process refinements. The new report by InfoTrends, which showcases the demonstrable benefits of managed print solutions, may encourage firms to put their printing processes into outside hands. They will find many consultancies wait with open palms.

HP To Roll Out Web-Connected Printers in Spring 2010

999inks.co.uk News: HP To Roll Out Web-Connected Printers in Spring 2010

A new range of printers from Hewlett Packard enable printing from the internet without the need for a PC.


Some might query the value of a printer that lets you print straight from the internet without using a computer. What’s wrong with right-clicking from the desktop to receive your desired image? Yet at Hewlett Packard, Vice President of Marketing for the Imaging & Printing Group Ralph McNeil is certain this is the future of printing. In Spring 2010, he intends to begin global distribution of a new range of printers that enable users to produce documents straight off the internet, without the need for a PC.

In an interview with Marketnews.ca, Mr McNeil outlined his vision for the new printers. He said that the internet printers operate using a large touchscreen, eliminating the need for a computer. The details of the interface have yet to be finalised though, and this is something Mr Macneil recognises is crucial: "The easier it is, the more I'm going to use it," he told Gordon Brockhouse, in an article dated 11th December 2009. Regarding the value of the new printers he is more certain. He asserts that the expanding internet does not detract from the printed image, but increases the number of potential documents to be produced. "Where does it [the HP web printer] take you? To a repository of value on the Internet."

In 2009 HP greatly expanded their range of web applications, with programs that enabled users to print from their iPhones. A similar app for the Blackberry is expected soon. Mr Macneil anticipates that the HP web printers will mark another new platform for printing, making 2010 “a very exciting year” for the printing brand.

Government Subsidies for Publishing Industry?

Print News: Government Subsidies for Publishing Industry?


Publishers around the world are facing the notion that the survival of their industry may depend on government support.

The future of the printed word may depend on government subsidies, according to several stories circulating at the moment. Not only in Canada, where government support for ‘literary arts already totals tens of millions, but in the United States, where attitudes to state intervention are more hostile, the idea of supporting the ailing publishing industry with financial subsidies is gaining traction. This possibility – first raised by writers at the Washington Post in November - has emerged owing to a terrible year for publishing. Publishers have struggled to make the shift to online media profitable, and redundancies have followed.

In an 8 December post by David Kaplan at PaidContent.org, he writes that the quantity of magazine publishers appearing at the USB Media Week Conference will shrink by almost 5%. This is but the latest in a series of bracing reports to challenge not only publishers but the print industry. For example, it was found recently that almost 87,000 in the US print industry this year have been made unemployed.

Yet the deluge of bad news seems to have awoken people to the fact that the publishing industry is worth saving – by whatever means. Tom Clavin at 27east.com has proposed that ‘printing on demand’ may save the printed text from total collapse. His suggestion though reduces print to a niche industry: an aesthetic novelty subordinate to the digital colossus. Yet some writers would prefer that publishing be saved wholesale. In an 8 December article entitled ‘Keep Print Alive,’ Rachel Mendleson of Macleans.ca writes of the possibility of larger subsidies by the Canadian government for the publishing industry. In 2007 $80 million was contributed.

Elsewhere, in a 30 November post by David Westphal at Ojr.org, he notes that subsidising the publishing industry is a longstanding institution of the US Government. This is in spite of widely held right-wing perceptions to the contrary. Beginning with the Postal Act 1792, the cost of mailing magazines and newspapers has been subsidised. Even today ‘Federal and state governments forego about $890 million a year on income and sales tax breaks to the newspaper industry.’ It is only during the last few years – as publishers have come under threat from digital media, no less – that state legislatures have queried this arrangement.

The dire condition of the publishing industry may lead officials of the US Government to change direction once more. In India, the government has sought to bolster newspaper revenues by paying more for their printed advertisements. In France, 18-24 year olds are now offered a free 3 year newspaper subscription to increase readership rates. These are not permanent measures, but means of assistance for an industry that has suffered particularly badly in the global recession.

Moreover, from the perspectives of the elected officials, the packages are not designed to ‘save’ publishing but ensure a plurality of communication methods. Magazines Canada CEO Mark Jamison told Macleans.ca that ‘The government’s role is about ensuring that Canadian voices can be heard through a variety of means.’ Though the publishing industry may welcome government subsidies, in short, this doesn’t enable newspapers to put aside the challenges faced from the digital market.

To continue printing and save on costs, shop at http://www.999inks.co.uk/

Ricoh ‘Green Printers’ To Swamp Ireland

Print News: Ricoh ‘Green Printers’ To Swamp Ireland


In 2010 the Irish Government’s Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government will dedicate €40 million of a €2.3 billion budget to refitting its offices with environmentally friendly equipment, according to a press release at Environ.ie. A good deal of this €40 million is set to flow into the coffers of printing brand Ricoh, owing to a contract the Government Dept. recently signed to receive ‘green printers’ from the Japanese company.

The Ricoh ‘green machines’, taken from the Eco-Line, are manufactured with recycled components and, over their lifetime, produce 40% fewer carbon emissions than ordinary printers. They will be distributed in offices of the government dept. throughout Dublin and the rest of Ireland.

According to an article by John Kennedy posted at SiliconRepublic.com on 15th December, the contract was prompted by the Department’s decision to revamp its entire printing strategy, to coincide with the relocation of its offices to a ‘Greenfield’ site in Wexford.

This decision is not isolated; the Department of Environment is making conscious strides to set the standard for environmental change in Irish government. The Department’s €2.3 billion budget is the second largest of all Departments to this end, while the €40 million set aside for environmentally friendly equipment more than doubles the amount devoted for purchases in 2008.

A spokesperson for the Irish Department of Environment told SiliconRepublic.com: “Ricoh's green technology and managed print services will not only have a positive effect on the environment but will also help us to reduce print costs across the department.”

By using Ricoh’s multi-function printers, which replace the existing stand-alone printers, copiers and scanners, the dept. stands to make substantial savings on its print processes, in addition to reducing the printing carbon footprint by 40%. To make further gains, Ricoh consultants will help the dept. introduce ‘green’ printing practices, including duplex printing as standard, default mono printing, and power saving.

The Managed Services Print Manager at Ricoh Ireland, Aine O’Shea, praised the government dept. for the contract. "The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has been a trailblazer in promoting cleaner and greener business practices,” she said.