Future Links April 12th

Experts see employment opportunities in printed electronics
According to the latest business climate survey conducted by the OE-A (Organic and Printed Electronics Association), 80 % of respondents expect the industry to continue its positive development in the coming year with a projected growth in sales revenue of 11 % for 2016 and 13 % for 2017. There are also good opportunities for employees in the organic and printed electronics industry: 32 % of the companies surveyed plan to hire additional employees in the next six months.
More at EETimes

New Balance is race-ready with 3D printed shoes
Speed matters: The athletic gear company New Balance is one of the first companies to have a 3D printed shoe ready for sale. The shoe will be available in Boston just in time for the city’s iconic marathon. The New Balance shoe features a 3D printed midsole that used 3D Systems’ selective laser sintering technology. Only 44 pairs will be available for 400 USD each.
More at Fortune

Walstead wants to become biggest independent EU printing platform
UK-based Walstead is merging with the Austrian printing company Let’s Print. Walstead and Let’s Print Holding plan to establish the biggest independent printing company in Europe, with about 490 million Euros in revenues, the companies said. They will be focusing on flyers, magazines and catalogues. The deal is pending regulatory approvals.
More at FriedlNews

Masterpix introduces photos printed on glass
Gorilla Glass has been used as a cover glass on 4.5 billion electronic devices around the world, and now the tough, damage-resistant glass that helps protect your phones and tablets is available in India to help preserve photos. The photo printing service Masterpix uses UV-cured inks to create vibrant, colourful glass prints in various sizes.
More at PC Magazine

Medical print ad spending is increasing
It may be part of an overall increase ad spending, but the print sector is seeing increased revenue from medical ad in specialized publications. Medical-surgical print journal spending in 2015 was up 8.4 % to 372 million USD, according to data from Kantar Media, building on similar gains a year ago and inching closer to 2011’s modern-day peak of 405 million USD. Concurrently, the total number of medical-surgical print ad pages in 2015 rose by 7.9 % to 64,547.
More at Medical Marketing and Media

Neuroscience looks at print’s special touch and feel
A video on What They Think explains how haptics, the science of touch and feel, explores the appeal of print. In the video an expert from Sappi, Daniel Dejan, discusses the findings with Patrick Henry, Labels & Packaging Editor at What They Think. One of the point is that the more senses a medium engages, the longer the audience can retain the information and the more they respect the author.
More at What They Think

Early steps to recycle flexible packaging shows promise
Flexible packaging is increasingly popular but recycling pouches and other flexible packaging forms remains a challenge. The research group Materials Recovery for the Future (MRF) is now exploring ways to increase the recycling rates for flexible packaging. Sponsors for MRF research project including a number of well-known companies, including Dow Chemical Co. PepsiCo Inc., Procter & Gamble Co., Sealed Air Corp., Nestle SA and S.C. Johnson and Son Inc. Trade groups backing the project include the Association of Plastic Recyclers, the Flexible Packaging Association and the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc.
More at Plastic News

New on the drupa blog: “Print is a market with a future”
After the successful reorientation of Koenig & Bauer AG , Chairman of the drupa Board Claus Bolza-Schünemann looks to the future with confidence. The focus on growing markets and profitable niches as well as the new holding structure with four autonomous business units are effective. In this interview, he tells us about the plans for drupa 2016 and his outlook on the printing industry.
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