Boutique Melbourne print business Taylor'd Press emerged as the country's de facto best printer with more golds than anyone else, five, at this year's National Print Awards, which were live streamed due to Covid-19.

Melbourne-based digital fabric printing business AFI Branding is seeing its move into mask printing turbo charged following the mandate to wear them in Victoria.

Canon Production Printing is providing a Kick Start package of up to $40,000 with all new Arizona flatbed printers, in what it says is an initiative designed to assist Australian printers adapt to new market trends.

Newly acquired publishing giant Bauer Media is printing magazines again in New Zealand, with the presses at Webstar NZ rolling once more, following a near four-month hiatus from its biggest customer. The new Bauer owner also owns Webstar NZ.

Bauer Media is permanently closing eight of its big Australian magazine brands that have been off the shelves since May, as it battles a severe and ongoing downturn in advertising revenue, and restrictions on travel and transport.

Well known Sydney printing identity Stan Halkeas – who founded, and then ran a major print business for 50 years in the latter half of last century – has died, aged 91.

Alex Commins, CEO of Jamestrong and former CEO and owner of Colorpak, pays heartfelt tribute to his Colorpak/GPI colleague David Johnson who passed away last week: “40 years a one company man. A great life taken too young.”

Press manufacturing giant Koenig & Bauer is among the manufacturers looking to the German government for support during Covid, requesting a €120m loan to help implement its Performance 2024 plan.

Offset press manufacturers Komori and manroland Sheetfed have joined rival Heidelberg to withdraw from global mega print show drupa next year, as the show itself cuts its duration, from 11 days to nine.

Daniels Printing Craftsmen in Perth is investing in an HP Indigo 7r Digital Colour Press – supplied by Currie Group – in order to increase its digital capacity.

The federal government will team up with the states to pump $1bn into the TAFE system to make courses free or low-cost for apprentices in certain sectors, including printing, as part of its new $2.5bn Covid youth strategy JobTrainer.

Paper, media, and hardware supplier Spicers is reorganising its business into two sales divisions – paper and packaging; and sign and display – with the aim of optimising its technical expertise for printers.

As the government pumps money into apprenticeships and TAFE, David Galbraith, senior recruitment consultant at JDA Print Recruitment (Vic), says there are a series of steps print business owners can take to ensure they attract the most suitable young people out there.

Printers will be able to claim half their apprentices' wages until at least March under the latest $2.5bn Covid stimulus package from the federal government with its new JobTrainer programme. Under the scheme, designed to boost local manufacturing and youth employment, print businesses can claim 50% of their apprentices' wages, up to maximum of $530 a week.

The budding printed solar panels concept is one step closer to commercialisation, with a demonstration project now in place at a Sydney shopping centre. If successful, the renewable energy project could be a boon for printers, with the panels printed on standard narrow web presses.

Specialising in commercial office graphics, Eyetonic is adding a new member to its team – the EFI 16h hybrid LED UV printer, supplied by Starleaton. The new wide format printer is the biggest investment the company has made to date.