Industry group Visual Connections has launched a support campaign for family-owned McDonald Signs & Print of Young, NSW, after owner Aaron McDonald's young daughter Madison was involved in a tragic accident last year.

ASX-listed outdoor advertiser QMS Media extended its global reach with major new contracts including the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, SANZAAR Rugby Union, Sydney Cricket Ground, Netball Australia, the NRL’s Melbourne Storm and the South American club football competition CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores.

Organisers Messe Düsseldorf report impressive booking figures for the biggest global print trade show drupa 2020, which will again highlight new print technology in a wide range of markets.

Epson picked up six International Forum (iF) Design Awards - four for inkjet printer systems, including two awards for its SureColor wide format series - and two for 3LCD projector designs.

The Australian Sign & Graphics Association (ASGA) has called a round table session of members and industry suppliers amid growing concerns that new federal building code legislation could have wide-ranging effects on the signage industry. The new code added at least $3,000 to the price of one recent sign job.

New online assets library enables SAi subscription-based software users to access over six-and-a-half million images, logos, fonts, illustrations, vehicle outlines and wraps.

Industry group SGIAA has teamed up with supplier Starleaton to launch the first of its 'Year of Colour' colour management boot-camps in Melbourne on 2-4 April.

Ricoh’s latest L5160 latex roll-to-roll large format printer will be in the spotlight as part of the company’s rapidly evolving portfolio on show at FESPA in Munich from May 14-17.

Neopost Australia has become an official distributor of the popular Arlon Graphics range of medias as it continues to expand its portfolio for the commercial print and sign & display markets.

Despite a jump in net sales and profit, Spicers recorded a statutory loss of $6.7 million for the half-year ended 31 December 2018, after booking a $15 million loss on the sale of its Asian operations. The paper company and wide format supplier is preparing for its proposed sale later this year - pending shareholder approval - to Japan-based global paper giant Kokusai Pulp & Paper (KPP).

Entries have opened for the state Printing Industry Creativity Awards (PICAs) which kick off in Adelaide in June, with all state winners eligible to compete in the 36^thannual National Print Awards to be held during Printex19 in Sydney in August. A Large Format category is for work printed on any substrate using any printing method, and includes pull up banners, indoor visual, building banners, bus shelter signage, real estate signage.

Online registration is now open for Printex19, the leading expo for the print, sign, display and engraving industries, which this year will be co-located with sign, display and wide format showcase Visual Impact and the Labels and Packaging Expo.

Roland DG Australia is offering disaster pricing for replacement products and reduced service rates on moisture-affected Roland equipment to any customers affected by record flooding in Queensland, which has now inundated 1.3 million sq kilometres. 

Graphic Art Mart has announced a new nationwide series of Avery Dennison Vehicle Wrapping Workshops to be held across Australia from February-November 2019.

Danish manufacturer Contex is hosting a free webinar to showcase two new additions to its range of large format scanners, the HD Ultra X scanner series. 

Spandex has created an innovative new app that gives customers easy access to digital colour swatches for thousands of colours from leading brands.

“We don’t know if they can absolutely guarantee that none of the toxins such as mercury and dioxins can be prevented from going out the stack,” says Jill Redwood, coordinator of Environment East Gippsland (EEG), which has filed legal action against Australian Paper’s $600 million EfW project at its Maryvale mill in the Latrobe Valley, east of Melbourne.

The project for Pukara Estate provided QLM Label Makers with its first market application of HP Mosaic software for self-adhesive labels. It's part of a number of ongoing QLM projects aimed at utilising personalisation and customisation to generate increased sales.

The new Océ ColorWave 3500 and ColorWave 3700 are both packed with intuitive operational features and print on a wide range of media from thin uncoated stocks like 80gsm bond to vinyls.

"Think of us as a Swiss Army Knife,” says Perry Brahan, director of UK-based Amersham Signs Design and a former special effects designer for the BBC. “We’re a relatively small company offering a wide variety of services usually found only in larger companies, many of them enabled by design, print and cut software from SAi.”

“People have this idea around franchising that’s it’s this tightly controlled, cookie-cutter type of thing but all of our businesses are unique and a reflection of owners connecting to markets according to their individual interests,” says Linda Sultmann, director and GM, Signwave Australia.