Future Links March 18th 2015

The continued success of print marketing
Direct mail marketing is still the most successful and measurable form of advertising available today, argues Gregg Zegras, President, Imagitas, Pitney Bowes in an article. He points to the recent revival of JC Penny’s print catalogue and gives advice on how to make the best of existing print marketing opportunities.
More at Appareal

Open operating system for 3D printers launched
In the past months, many different 3D printing hubs and printing services have been established. While diversity is not necessarily a disadvantage in a fast developing field, many applications were incompatible with others, making it difficult to change providers or platforms. A new cloud-based open 3D printer operating system aims at changing this: The platform will allow users to 3D print from virtually anywhere and collaborate on designs.
More at 3D Print

Prices for uncoated woodfree paper in Germany may increase
Manufacturers of woodfree uncoated paper announced that they might increase their prices as early as April. The price hike is expected to apply to all uncoated paper grades including A and B-grade cut sizes as well as colored papers.
More at EUWID Pulp and Paper

Toyo Ink strengthens market presence in Southeast Asia
Toyo Ink has merged its two wholly-owned subsidiaries in Taiwan to strengthen and deepen the company’s market presence in the country, as well as in China and across Southeast Asia. The company aims to improve product development and customer response time.
More at Labels & Labeling 

New labels for bottles with improved form and function
Striking looks and recyclability don’t always go together. Now, SpearRC is offering a technology that combines the benefits of pressure sensitive labels without the recycling contamination of traditional materials. The SpearRC solution includes including clear, white and metalized film material options.
More at Packaging Digest

New seal offers greater protection against counterfeit wine and spirits
Exquisite wines and spirits are cherished by collectors and connoisseurs and often serve as a financial investment. Unfortunately, counterfeit products are not unheard of in this field. Tesa has developed its tesa BevSeal specifically for the wine and spirits industry to offer reliable protection against the refilling of original bottles, bottle counterfeiting and grey-market trading.
More at Packaging Europe

Highlights of round one of the print fight club
The first round of Media Centr’s print fight club was titled “Will Print Management Services KILL In-House/Agency Buyers, Or Save Them?” During heated discussions, the main points became clear including the argument that print Management Services are here to stay.
More at Print Media Centr