October 30, 2001
Kempenfelt Graphics consolidates operations, sheds jobs
BARRIE, Ont.— Kempenfelt Graphics Group Inc. closed its Guelph, Ont. plant on Friday and has moved all of Guelph's in-process work and some of its assets to the company's 31,000 sq. ft. Barrie, Ont. location. Designed to improve overall profitability and to cut costs, the move will not be painless. "This will be a difficult time for some of the staff impacted by the restructuring, but it is a necessary step for the company to take," said operations vice president Michael Suter in a press release. Kempenfelt says it has offered new positions in the Barrie facility to roughly half of its 22 Guelph-based employees. The company has until the end of its lease, March 31, 2002, to remove the remainder of its printing assets from the Guelph facility. A full-service commercial shop, Kempenfelt Graphics had sales of approximately $11.8 million in 2000.

Que-Net moves into new digs
MARKHAM, Ont.— Que-Net Media changed addresses in Toronto earlier this month, when it opened its Toronto Technology Solutions Centre. All production, sales and administrative offices have been relocated to the new Markham, Ont. address from the old Willowdale, Ont. facility.The Centre aims to educate Que-Net's publishing clients about new production, content management workflow and automated publishing tools. The 40,000 sq. ft. facility employs 100 technical and creative professionals and houses both conventional and digital photo studios.

October 25, 2001
Niagara Trade Business Forms closes down
NIAGARA FALLS, Ont.— After less than a year in operation, Niagara Trade Business Forms closed its doors last week. "With the economy going the way it was, we just couldn't get going where we wanted to go. It hurt us badly, and it was just best to fold," says Niagara general manager Winston Auld. A forms and label veteran of 40 years, Auld started Niagara with two partners in December 2000. A producer of carbon, continuous, computer and invoice forms, Auld says a lack of deep financial backing combined with diminished orders hurt the fledgling business."Getting over the humps of being a new business and getting work out the door, and the cost and the disaster in New York in September stopped everything," he says. Most of Niagara's business has been absorbed by Hamilton, Ont.-based Sinclair Computer Forms. Sinclair Computer Forms is also in the process of hiring some of Niagara's 18 displaced employees.

Clues scarce in death of Moore exec
LONG ISLAND, N.Y.— The investigation into the death of Moore Corp. chairman Theodore Ammon has turned up little according to Suffolk County Police. No suspects have been named and the details of Ammon's death are being closely guarded. Ammon was found beaten to death in a bedroom of his mansion in the exclusive village of East Hampton on Monday afternoon. The specific details of his death, including the extent of his injuries and time of death, have not been released by police. Moore has not set a time frame for naming a replacement. PrintCan's calls to the forms and labels printer were not returned.

October 19, 2001
Police uncover more Best Copy links to Sept.11 attacks
TORONTO— Toronto Police and RCMP say they have received hundreds of tips concerning suspicious activites at Toronto-based print shop Best Copy Printing, and believe it played a significant role in creating documents used by the Sept. 11 terrorists. The ongoing investigation into the shop's role in the attacks has revealed some similarities between the paper stock, chemicals and laminates seized in police raids of Best Copy, and those used by the suicide pilots, according to an article in the Toronto Sun. Charges have not been filed against the shop or any of its employees, but former employee Nabil Al-Marabh has been linked to the al-Qaida terrorist organization and police suspect he might have used Best Copy to produce fake ID's for the Sept. 11 terrorists.

Looming postal increases could shorten press runs
OTTAWA— Pending postal rate increases for periodicals could have a negative impact on magazine printers as publishers attempt to offset the resulting cost increase. "The postage increases next year mean we will have to shave the total circulation of our publications by 5% and produce leaner magazines with higher ad ratios," says Todd Latham spokesperson from Southam Magazines Group and a board member of the Canadian Business Press. The increase is currently being negotiated, but industry rumours suggest it will be at least 5% and will take effect sometime in 2002.

October 16, 2001
Rhino Graphics swallows WYSIWYG
RICHMOND, B.C.— Rhino Graphics announced on Friday it has completed its merger with What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) Prepress, a full-service film house, based in Vancouver. The assets and capabilities of WYSIWYG will be merged with Rhino to provide Rhino with the ability to meet customer demand for in-house prepress services. "Initially it's bumping our sales in excess of 25%, so we can quite easily accommodate their people and workflow, while also giving us opportunities to mine their accounts for print," says Rhino president, David Allan. Rhino has 50 employees and annual revenues in the $6-7 million range post-merger, Rhino produces catalogues, magazines and promotional material for corporate and retail clients.

Printlux grows through e-commerce
VANCOUVER— After recently gaining a listing on the CDNX, Printlux is looking at possible expansion into the U.S, and is planning to launch an updated version of its e-commerce internet site within two months. "That's the next phase of our business plan," says Art Seto, vice president of operations, Printlux. A full-service commercial printer, Printlux offers many of its services to customers online such as job ordering, proofing, inventory management, shipping and tracking. The online aspect of Printlux's business is driving the company's growth Seto says. "We definitely see more and more business coming from outside Vancouver. With online ordering, you can be anywhere in the world," he says.

October 12, 2001
Transcon says it's just fine thanks
MONTREAL— In response to a flood of calls from worried investors and customers, Transcontinental Group issued a media release yesterday to help assure concerned parties that its profitability forecasts for 2001 will not be altered as a result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. "The announcement by Quebecor affected the entire industry. It wasn't fair for us, because we are meeting the expectations and the forecasts we made at the beginning of the year. We just wanted to reassure the investors and the public in general that we are on track, as we were at the beginning of the year," says Jean Blouin, vice-president of public relations, Transcontinental. Quebecor announced on Tuesday, it will be laying of 2,400 workers and closing seven plants, primarily in the U.S.

Newson announces retirement plans
MONTREAL — Trancontinental Printing president Wayne Newson has announced he will retire from his post effective Jan. 1, 2002. He says he's leaving for, "personal reasons that have nothing to do with Transcontinental or with my health." He says he and his wife plan to spend the first few months of his retirement at the couple's winter home in Scottsdale, Arizona. Transcontinental has yet to name a successor, but stay with PrintCan for updates in the coming weeks and months.

October 10, 2001
Quebecor World to slash 2,400 jobs
MONTREAL— Shrinking demand for retail inserts, catalogues and direct mail in the U.S. has prompted Quebecor World to announce the closure of seven plants by the end of 2002, which will reduce its total workforce by 6%. The majority of the cuts will come in the U.S. where the Sept.11 terrorist attacks have had the greatest economic impact. Most of the non-U.S. reductions will be in Europe, although the company's Canadian workforce will be trimmed by about 400, says Quebecor spokesperson Jeremy Roberts.

Print shop remains under investigation
TORONTO— After being raided by RCMP and Toronto Police two weeks ago for suspected links to the Sept.11 terrorist attacks, Best Copy Printing has yet to be charged with a criminal offense but has not had any of its seized property returned. Items seized in the raid include plastic laminates, paper and chemicals. "All of the information that was seized is still being looked at by our investigators. They're going through all the information and analysis that will form the basis for further investigation," says RCMP Toronto West constable Howard Adams. Best Copy is currently the only shop under investigation, he says.

October 05, 2001
Publishers continue to go digital according to Masthead
MISSISSAUGA, Ont.—PrintCan’s sister title, Masthead magazine, has announced the results of its production survey. The trend towards computer-to-plate continues with 40% of respondents now using this technology, up considerably from 16% in 1999. The majority of publishers—56%—are spending less money on prepress services as digital technology replaces film. Also, for the first time in the survey's history, more than half of art/production departments have colour printers. Of the 63% that do, only 7% have a high-end colour contract proofing device on the premises. Printers will also be interested to know that 48% say they change printers every three years while 64% get quotes evey year. For full results of the survey, check out the October issue of Masthead.

Domtar raises $460 million
MONTREAL — Paper giant Domtar Inc.finalized a public stock offering yesterday to help repay the debt it took on when it bought four U.S.-based Georgia-Pacific mills in August. The mills, which cost Domtar US$1.65 billion, were purchased in order to increase Domtar's presense in the U.S. fine papers and specialty papers market.

October 02, 2001
Arthurs-Jones auction date set
MARKHAM, Ont.— Liquidator Century Services will be auctioning off Arthurs-Jones's printing assets on Wed.,Oct.10 at 1060 Tristar Dr. in Mississauga, Ont., beginning at 10:30 a.m. The assets can be viewed on Tues., Oct. 9 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the same location. Among the items available are Heidelberg 40" eight-colour, and 40" six-colour presses, along with prepress and bindery equipment. For directions and a complete list of items available, contact Century Services at 416-495-8338 or 800-898-9917, or visit www.centuryservices.com.

Protech business lives on
MISSISSAUGA, Ont.— Former Protech Offset Services employee Tony Korslick has started his own press service and repair business. The new company, Protech Printing Equipment Service and Repair, will serve the same clients as Protech Offset, where Korslick was an employee for 18 years. Protech Offset owner Dave LoPatriello was killed in a motorcycle crash in late August. His family had decided to close the business after the accident, but Korslick offered to keep it going under a new name. "I asked them if they minded and they said no, wished me well and to go ahead with it," he says referring to the use of Protech in the new company's name.