The world's biggest offset press manufacturer Heidelberg is instigating a wide-ranging action package to realign the business, which it says is a 'radical step' that will involve some 'painful' changes.

Xerox has put its hostile takeover bid for HP on ice, citing the need to focus on the coronavirus, and saying the pause in action has nothing to do with the plummeting stock prices of both companies.

Global and regional print trade shows organisers are scrambling to reschedule their events planned for for next year, all of which will be impacted by the rescheduling of drupa to April, including PacPrint.

Print environmentalist Laurel Brunner says the industry needs an overarching method for quantifying the carbon footprint of print media production systems, in order to highlight the remarkable sustainability strides made by print.

Print industry association PVCA is issuing members with business continuity guidance, which it says will enable printers to keep supplying jobs to their clients if their staff are sick with the virus and unable to work.

Currie Group managing director Bernie Robinson says the company has a host of Horizon finishing, Foliant laminating and Cron CTP systems all available for less than the new $150,000 instant asset write down limit brought in to help business through the virus.

Two former Waratah Group execs caught up in a front-page World Vision print contract exposé, Stephen Kernahan and Brett Chalmers, have resigned from their roles at Finsbury Green. Monday was their last day.

The Visual Impact Expo which was to be held at the Gold Coast at the end of April, has been postponed in light of the Federal Government’s response to the rapidly evolving coronavirus.

Digital print solutions developer Durst is closing its factory in Italy until the end of the month as the coronavirus blitzes through the country, which is currently the worst affected in Europe. Supplies, ink and support will be unaffected.

Pride in Print has been postponed, the New Zealand print awards night falling victim to the coronavirus scare which has seen gatherings of more than 500 people banned.

The giant trade show drupa 2020, which would have attracted 250,000 printers, has been postponed – for the first time in its history – and will now run next April instead of this June, the move the inevitable result of the growing coronavirus scare which is closing down the world.

HP says drupa will see the "most exciting launches in the history of Indigo" announcing a raft of new print solutions with eight new presses that include a 6000sph B2 press, an entry level SRA3, and software for its new range of label and packaging presses that will enable them to hit any spot colour within three minutes.

Industry association PVCA is issuing advice to print businesses to enable them to minimise risk of their staff becoming infected, which in the main says don't panic and take sensible precautions.

The federal government has unveiled a raft of packages created to help small and medium sized business – which includes the vast majority of printers – carry on working through the coronavirus scare, including a massive uplift in the instant asset write off.

Melbourne-based Bambra Press has become the only Australian print business to be certified by the Arjowiggins Academy of Certified Printers.

Under-pressure controversial signage business Skope Group has seen trading entity Scream Visual issued with a winding up order, and Skope Group Holdings is now also in external administration.