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Xerox has added to its software portfolio with the acquisition of CareAR, an augmented reality support platform company that provides real-time access to expertise for customers, employees and field workers.

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Digital print giant EFI, which last week signed an ANZ distribution deal with supplier Currie Group - says the new 6.6 version of its EFI Fiery Command Workstation delivers a host of productivity and quality enhancements. 

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The Australian Small Business Ombudsman says it is essential for small business owners to secure their assets and business loans, with economists predicting a steep rise in insolvencies this year.

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With face-to-face training remaining on hold for now, Roland DG Australia will once again run online training courses for customers beginning this month and running through to May.  Places are limited to eight people per class.

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Leading trans-Tasman graphic arts distributor, the 100% locally-owned Currie Group, is taking on the EFI Display Graphics range from early 2021. Paul Whitehead, well-known for his roles with Oce and Canon, is returning to Australia as Business Unit Manager, Wide Format with Currie Group.

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The fall-out from the strategy behind Ovato’s making over 300 people redundant and forcing them onto FEG is escalating. The ire is not against the redundancies themselves, but the way in which Ovato went about luring staff into accepting reduced pay and entitlements and then switching to liquidating the four subsidiary companies, leaving them with virtually no assets.

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Months after being hit with a wind-up application by major creditor the ATO, Adelaide sign business Swift Signs has decided the company will be wound up voluntarily.

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US print giant Xerox reported full-year revenue of $US7 billion for 2020, a 22.5% fall from 2019’s revenue of $US9.1 billion. “Though the impact of the pandemic continues in 2021, we expect to return to growth this year,” said CEO John Visentin. The company also unveiled plans to create separate Software, Financing and Innovation businesses, and will launch a $US250m corporate venture capital fund. 

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Global standards developer and certifying body Idealliance has released the new PrintWide profile to support global print alignment across all print technologies and workflows. “The new PrintWide colour profile has two primary functions: as a universal translation space AND a saturation booster for high fidelity printing while still preserving G7 alignment.”

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Orafol has introduced a new Application Gel that outperforms water several times over when applying wrap or paint protection films. It provides superior and long-term slip behaviour and when dry, leaves no residue.

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EFI's first virtual users' conference EFI Engage (Jan. 25-Feb. 5) has introduced advanced MIS/ERP workflow software, EFI Fiery management interface and automation solutions, and "super-high-speed" and high-volume display graphics printers.

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When reporting Sign industry winding-ups, it is often a tale of slow decline, bad debts and/or bad management. Not so with Coburg, Melbourne sign shop Vogue Signs: the application for winding up stems from a family dispute going back years and the plaintiff, a lawyer, is seeking to recoup legal fees incurred while he was in bankruptcy.

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Majority Aboriginal-owned company Sista Girl Sign & Print, a joint venture partner with one of WA’s largest signage businesses, Jason Signmakers, has been appointed a Certified Supplier for Supply Nation, the provider of the largest national directory of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses.

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Entries into the 38th National Print Awards and state Printing Industry Creativity Awards will open on Monday, February 1st. PVCA members receive their first entry free.

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The insolvency administrator of Brookvale, NSW Roller Poster Pty Ltd, who made news in 2016 when they went bust while printing the Labor Party's election posters, has pleaded guilty to dishonesty and fraud at Downing Central Court. Amanda Young was employed as a partner with Jirsch Sutherland, who sacked her upon discovery of the misappropriation of around $240,000 from four liquidations. She has been barred from acting as a liquidator and will face sentencing next month.

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Continuing its acquisitive strategy in wide format, Spicer Group's NZ General Manager, Morgan John, has announced its acquisition of industry supplier Blueprint, effective from February 26th 2021. The buyout is via Spicer's subsidiary Total Supply Ltd, itself acquired in 2014.

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Australia and New Zealand will benefit from the very latest inkjet technology, as applied to label and flexible packaging production, with the arrival (after customs delays) of the Screen Truepress Jet L350 SAI printer into the demonstration suite of Jet Technologies, Roseberry, Sydney. Screen technicians are currently completing the installation and customer trials can be booked now for dates after Australia Day.

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The TS100-1600 sublimation transfer inkjet printer for textiles expands Mimaki’s entry-level 100 Series lineup and will be available worldwide from February 2021. 

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Roland DG Corporation, a leading manufacturer of wide format inkjet printers and printer cutters, has announced the launch of the new VersaUV 64-inch LEC2-640 and 30-inch LEC2-330 wide format UV printer cutters to start 2021. Kevin Shigenoya, Vice President, Digital Printing Business Division, says that the LEC2 series printer-cutters offer unmatched production capabilities, including the ability to create unique special 3D effects using UV ink and contour cutting of printed images on-demand.

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External administrator appointments were up by 23% in December 2020 and economists predict the number of businesses entering voluntary administration will continue to rise in coming months. Small Business Ombudsman Kate Carnell has called on the Federal Government to immediately set up an emergency loan system for small business owners. She also wants to change a "flaw" in JobKeeper rules to make it easier for struggling small businesses to replace staff members.

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The Out of Home advertising industry says Covid-19 lockdowns caused a 39.4% decrease in net media revenue to $566.5 million in 2020, down from $935.5 million for 2019. But the OMA says the outlook is looking bright.