The April horror month for print saw two thirds of commercial printers experience falls in sales of at least 30 per cent, with a quarter experiencing falls of between 50-70 per cent, and 15 per cent seeing sales plummet by more than 70 per cent.

Casual staff who are paid a 25 per cent loading are also now entitled to receive leave and other benefits associated with full time staff, in a court ruling that means print businesses may be liable for back pay.

Sandra Duarte is the new CEO at Centrum Printing, saying she is proud to accept the high profile role at the large format, display and packaging printer, and says she will use the role to promote young women into print.

The print industry's campaign to have all government and taxpayer funded print produced on Australian presses received a boost, when a Queensland state minster raised the issue in Parliament, calling on it to pressure the Commonwealth to buy Australian.

Personal videos of this year’s PrintNZ Apprentice of the Year Top 5, recorded while they were in lockdown, have been progressively uploaded to the association’s Facebook page this week.

Currie Group is the latest leading industry supplier to confirm its participation in Australia’s first virtual trade show for print, sign, display, and graphics, taking out the largest presence at the online show.

The CorruJet digital carton press from the joint venture between Koenig & Bauer and Durst has been voted the winner in the prestigious Drucker des Jahres (printer of the year) awards for the manufacturer category at Druck & Medien magazine in Germany.

Trade employers association Print & Visual Communication Association has seen its figures move into positive territory for the first time in three years, CEO Andrew Macaulay commending the board for their focus.

Brendan Hill, CEO of magazine giant Bauer, has signalled its intention to have its furloughed print magazines back on the presses by September, with big hitters NW, OK! and WHO all currently suspended.

Cactus Imaging took out an Honourable Mention in the OMA Big Bold and Bright quarterly awards for its Schweppes roadside job.

Agfa saw its first quarter plate sales hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, and says the remaining quarters are also likely to see lower levels of production, while inkjet system hardware sales fell, but ink sales remained steady.

Dandenong-based Perfection Packaging has scooped the prestigious (North American) FTA Best in Show wide web category Award for Print Excellence, crediting the use of the Kodak Flexcel NX plates in large part for the award.

Currie Group sales and marketing director Phillip Rennell says the closure of trade house Sydney Binding is an opportunity for more printers to bring binding back inhouse.

Perceptions that flexo is bad for the environment and produces grubby output are changing, and rising numbers of print buyers embrace this print method, writes print environmentalist Laurel Brunner.

The federal government has told all its departments and agencies to pay suppliers more quickly than they are doing, and says invoices for less than $10,000 must be paid immediately. PVCA CEO Andrew Macaulay hailed the edict as “great news” for printers.

Amcor has raised its full year earnings per share outlook, as it released robust third quarter profits it said were due to virus-induced supermarket panic buying.