Agfa Graphics announced today that Huston Patterson, a packaging printer specializing in labels and top sheets, has been able to cut chemistry consumption and substantially reduce energy costs since transitioning to :Energy Elite.

The latest addition to Agfa's portfolio of wide-format digital ink-jet printers introduces LED curing technology for the first time on a UV-curable 2.5 m flat-bed and roll-fed platform. Agfa Graphics' Anapurna 2500LED incorporates many of the company's established technologies with advanced refinements to make it a high quality, cost effective solution for print service providers, display producers and sign-makers.

Agfa announced today that Cowan Imaging Group of Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) has logged over 7500 hours on its :Jeti 3150 system and expects to do more. Founded in 1945, this family-owned company has transitioned from a small, two-person shop to a leader in screen printing and digital graphics with over 100 employees. Today, Cowan Imaging Group produces everything from decals, transit shelter advertisements, billboards to fleet signage and more.

On June 22, Printing Industries of America will be sponsoring the webinar Controlling Unemployment Insurance Costs. This webinar will give you an inside look into the soaring Unemployment Insurance (UI) costs and how you can manage them. The webinar will be presented by expert Ronald Adler, President and CEO of Laurdan Associates Inc. Ronald is a nationally recognized expert in unemployment insurance issues and co-developed Employment-Labor Law Audit™  (ELLA®), the leading HR auditing and employment practices risk-assessment tool.

This year's FESPA sees Agfa targeting the wide format market with the world-wide introduction of the flatbed/roll-to-roll :Anapurna M 2050. Combining the productivity of two of the existing machines in this family with a new 2,05 metre width, this new UV-curable printer also benefits from white ink printing and the company's latest M-series G2 inks, which are designed for applications on the latest rigid and roll materials that demand more flexibility.

The Packaging Association of Canada (www.pac.ca), LYFT Visual and Agfa Graphics announced today that their Digital Print Seminar, a co-sponsored venture held on June 1, 2010, exceeded expectations and ushered in full-capacity attendance.

The Treasury and IRS have released the 2011 inflation-adjusted amounts for health savings accounts under Code Sec. 223(g). After the application of cost-of-living adjustment rules under Code Sec. 223(g), there is no change in the amounts from 2010. Therefore, for calendar year 2011, the annual limitation on deductions under Code Sec. 223(b)(2) for an individual with self-only coverage under a high-deductible plan remains $3,050 ($6,150 for an individual with family coverage).

A "high-deductible health plan" is defined under Code Sec. 223(c)(2)(A) as a health plan with an annual deductible that is not less than $1,200 for self-only coverage or $2,400 for family coverage and annual out-of-pocket expenses (deductibles, co-payments and other amounts, but not premiums) that do not exceed $5,950 for self-only coverage or $11,900 for family coverage.

Source: Rev. Proc. 2010-22, I.R.B. 2010-23

Agfa Graphics announced today that J.F. Moore Communications of Toronto, ON has successfully transitioned to Agfa’s :Azura TS chemistry-free plates.

UV inkjet printing system provides flexibility, speed and cost benefits, including easy repurposing of packaging graphics into signage and display materials

Last week congress acted to address jobs and the economy as the House passed the “American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act” (H.R. 4213), which included several business tax relief provisions.

Included were a one-year extension of the Research & Development credit, refundable AMT credits for printing companies making a 2010 investment in capital equipment for use in domestic facilities, and a one-year extension of a tax provision that provides eligible small printers with a wage credit for activated military reservists. Also included was multi-employer pension plan funding relief that would allow an optional use of 30-year amortization periods, optional longer recovery periods for plans in endangered or critical status, and alternative default schedule for plans in endangered or critical status. The Senate must pass its version of a jobs bill before President Obama is able to sign the legislation into law; passage is expected following the Memorial Day recess period.

Agfa Graphics announced today that the company will be demonstrating its JDF-based workflow automation and integration solutions, including :Apogee Prepress and :Apogee Portal, at the 2010 IDEAlliance + IPA Technical Conference and EXPO. The EXPO runs June 7-8 and is being held at the Westin O'Hare Hotel, Rosemont, IL.

Agfa Graphics announced today that Lawrence Robinson has joined the company as District Business Manager. Robinson will be responsible for sales management of Agfa’s traditional graphic solutions as well as :Dotrix Modular, a wide width industrial web press.

Naomi Berber Memorial Award is the graphic communications industry’s only award specifically honoring women. Berber Award recipients join over thirty years of outstanding women from the graphic communications industry, such as Diane Romano, Sue Baylin, Laura Gale, and Betty Maul. An engraved plaque is presented to the recipient to commemorate her accomplishments. Nominations must be postmarked, faxed, or emailed by July 2, 2010.

The Frederick D. Kagy Education Award of Excellence recognizes an exemplary middle school, high school, or community college graphic communications program. Nominations must be postmarked, faxed, or emailed by July 16, 2010.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced the 2011 inflation adjusted amounts for health savings accounts (HSAs) in Revenue Procedure 2010-22.
 
Annual contribution limits for calendar year 2011 are unchanged from 2010 amounts:

• Deductions for an individual with self-only coverage under a high deductible health plan: $3,050
• Deductions for an individual with family coverage under a high deductible health plan: $6,150

High deductible health plans (for calendar year 2011): A “high deductible health plan” is defined as a health plan with an annual deductible that is not less than $1,200 for self-only coverage or $2,400 for family coverage, and the annual out-of-pocket expenses (deductibles, copayments, and other amounts, but not premiums) do not exceed $5,950 for self-only coverage or $11,900 for family coverage.

Agfa Graphics announced today that Nustream Graphic, a leading full-service dealer, has inked a deal to distribute Agfa’s industry-leading prepress solutions. Nustream Graphic is a diverse company that is comprised of knowledgeable industry professionals with hands-on technical and sales experience.

On May 17, 2010 the Treasury Department released more details on the ways certain very small businesses can take a tax credit from the new health care law.Notice 2010-44 provides various guidelines, illustrated by more than a dozen examples on the small employer tax credit.  Issues covered include: seasonal worker exclusion, exclusion of owners family member who work at firm to determine FTE and average wages, vision and dental plans are included in the tax credit eligibility but only if the firm is paying 50% or more of the premium, exclusions of tax credit if employer is paying less than 50% of premium for family coverage, but more than 50% for single (for example), state-level tax credits or subsides will not reduced the federal tax credit, and explains the tax credit phase out if over 10 FTEs (up to 25) and average wages over $25K (up to $50K).  The tax credit may be claim for all of 2010. The notice also requests public comment on issues that should be addressed in future guidance.

On Wednesday, May 19, 2010, twenty-one of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) member companies and nine environmental organizations unveiled the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. The Agreement will conserve significant areas of Canada's Boreal Forest, managing it in a more responsible manner

What does this mean for printers?
Canopy, ForestEthics, and Greenpeace will be suspending their “Do Not Buy” campaigns against participating FPAC member companies and their customers while the agreement is being implemented. There have been some well-known “Do Not Buy” campaigns against highly visible brands such as Sears/Lands End, Victoria’s Secret, and Kimberly-Clark due to their paper purchasing practices for the production of catalogs, direct mail, and other paper products. The suspension of these campaigns translates into relief for the end users of the products.

This is good news for the printing industry, as the “Do Not Buy” campaigns impact their businesses directly. This agreement will allow print customers to feel more secure that they will not come under attack for using paper from the participating FPAC members.

The Dead Tree Edition, a blog offering comments related to the production and distribution of publications stated the following after the announcement:

It’s surprising enough that the former enemies signed a deal involving forestry practices and conservation for an area of the Canadian boreal forest larger than Texas.

Even more stunning is that radical environmental groups like Greenpeace and ForestEthics signed an agreement that calls for “policies and investments that improve the competitiveness of the Canadian forest sector” and “improved prosperity of the Canadian forest sector and the communities that depend on it.”

The agreement also recognizes the legitimacy of the industry-backed Sustainable Forestry Initiative in addition to the rival Forest Stewardship Council.

To learn more about the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement visit www.canadianborealforestagreement.com.

 

This environmental update has been provided by Printing Industries of America. For more information about Printing Industries of America’s sustainability tools and resources, visit www.printing.org/ehs or call 800-910-4283.

OSHA has announced three enforcement efforts that impose increased obligations on employers and result in increased penalties for violations. They include:

1.      Rescinding the Enhanced Enforcement Program (EEP) and replacing it with the Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP). OSHA has replaced the EEP with the SVEP to increase its enforcement efforts against employers who have demonstrated an “indifference” to workplace safety obligations including situations that result in fatalities or catastrophic events and industries that expose employees to the most severe hazards, including those identified as “high-emphasis hazards”. Due to the persistent high level of amputations, the printing industry has been classified as a high hazard industry and any printer receiving a citation could be subject to the SVEP. Under the SVEP, OSHA will conduct follow-up and nationwide inspections to at companies with more than one location, issue press releases, and will seek enhanced settlement agreements including requiring the employer to hire an independent safety and health consultant, applying settlement agreements company-wide, if there is more than one location, imposing corrective actions if violations cannot be fixed in a short period, require employers to report work-related injuries and illnesses on a quarterly basis, and require employers to report for a specific time period any serious injury or illness requiring medical attention, and to consent to inspections based on that data. 2.      OSHA is altering its penalty classification and assessment scheme, which will result in increased fines for violations. They will be expanding the time frame they use to consider an employer’s history of violations and issuing repeat citations from three to five years, increasing the minimum fines for serious violations, and limit area directors to only allowing a 30% maximum penalty reduction for employers during an informal conference. The old policy was to allow area directors to reduce the penalty by up to 50% and now, to obtain any penalty reduction beyond this 30%, area directors will have to obtain approval from regional administrators. As a result of the changes, OSHA predicts that the average penalty for a serious violation will increase from $1,000 to $3,000 to $4,000. 3.      OSHA plans to initiate a rulemaking for an injury and illness prevention program. Under the rule, OSHA would require employers to create a plan for identifying and remedying risks associated with hazards and OSHA violations. The rule would contain three distinct parts requiring employers to plan, prevent, and protect employees from workplace injuries and illnesses. Under the rule, OSHA would require employers to create a plan for identifying and remedying risks associated with hazards and OSHA violations.

Printing Industries of America can help. Contact our Environmental, Health and Safety Department at 800-910-4283, ext. 792 to determine if your company is at risk.

Additional information regarding OSHA and the printing industry can be found at www.printing.org/osha.

Tools and Resources
How to Prepare for the New Aggressive OSHA Inspections Webinar Archive (free to members)
OSHA Primer (free to members)
How to Avoid OSHA’s Combustible Dust Citation
OSHA Targets Amputations
What You Need to Know for Safe Equipment Operation

This is your last chance to nominate an academic educator or industry trainer in the graphic communications field for the 2010 Education Awards of Excellence. All nominations are free and are due Friday, May 21.

BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom, May 18, 2010 - Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI) today announced it is expanding its line of high-speed digital color printing systems. The new offering, the Pitney Bowes® IntelliJet™ 20 Printing System, will help more companies transition their printed communications from monochrome to color simply and cost-effectively, and communicate more effectively with their audiences.