Future Links July 6th 2015

Economic pressures lead to environmentally friendly solutions
The prices of paper have been rising, putting greater economic pressure on printers. They have responded with a variety of solutions that save resources by using less paper, simplify the process and allow for easier customization.
More at Business2Community

3D printed seahorse tail will inspire next generation of robotics
Seahorses have unusual tails that are composed of a series of square prisms. Scientists from Oregon State University have now managed to 3D print the structures that are flexible yet able to withstand a great amount of force. The researchers predict that their findings will influence the next generation of robotics.
More at The Tech Times

Quad/Graphic’s CEO optimistic about the future of print
Joel Quadracci, CEO and president of the printing company Quad/Graphics, said new data shows that customers respond to printed advertising, and the response allows retailers to customize their marketing to sell more products. He believes that the comeback of catalogues indicates that digital and print can benefit from each other.
More at The Milwaukee Business Journal

Earthinks launches new gravure inks and coatings
The manufacturer of environmentally friendly inks, Earthinks, has launched new gravure inks and a range of coatings. The products were designed to provide gravure printers and packaging converters with high-quality, versatile inks made from sustainable and non-polluting resources.
More at Print Week

Medical 3D printing company has gone public
Prosthetics and customized implants are areas where 3D printing has made great progress in the past years. Now, ConforMIS, a company that makes 3D printed knee implants, has had its IPO on Friday and is listed under the symbol CFMS on NASDAQ. ConforMIS sees great potential in the market for customized knee implants. The company states that the global market for joint replacements is 15 billion USD.
More at 3D Printing Industry 

Schreiner Group wins Innovator of the Year Award
The Munich-based printing and film-converting company was selected to be the recipient of the Innovator of the Year Award in the Germany-wide Top 100 competition for small and midsize companies. The Schreiner Group was selected for the “smooth transition from the second to the third family generation at the helm of the company that also gave new impetus to innovation.”
More at Narrow Web Tech

How packaging influences consumers’ decisions
A lot of research and development goes into finding the right packaging that attracts consumers and increases sales. Innovative packaging design is becoming increasingly important and companies choose different approaches to reach this goal. In an article, Ruth Price, business development director at Sharpak Aylesham, discusses why innovation in packaging is so important.
More at Packaging Europe