July has brought with it the full British summer time experience – a brief heatwave followed by rain and thunderstorms and a distinct sense that there are not enough hours in the day – but minus the usual sporting defeat thanks to England’s Girls Who Play Football.
Elsewhere, bombs have also continued to rain down in Gaza, with the UN warning of growing evidence of famine and starvation in the Strip. Even the US president Donald Trump says he has seen the TV pictures though the Israeli government has simply denied there are any problems. This has prompted several countries, including Britain, France and Canada, to offer conditional recognition of Palestinian statehood in an effort to jump start the dormant talks on a two-state solution.
Trump has continued sowing chaos in global trading. At this stage, it appears that Trump simply enjoys the game too much to stop and will probably continue playing a variation of this throughout his presidency. Having set a 9th July deadline for his tariff decisions, he delayed this to 1 August for many countries, as most commentators had predicted. And has since set new tariffs complete with further delays. Switzerland has been one of the big losers, having been hit with a 39% tariff rate, which will directly affect Muller Martini, Hunkeler and SwissQprint.
Trump has also applied an immediate 35% tariff on Canadian imports, which is partly as a punishment for Canada’s support for Palestinian statehood. It’s worth noting that Canada will suffer twice over, since many vendors ship their products via the US, meaning that imports of some European and Japanese printing equipment into Canada will also pick up the US tariff. The alternative will be to ship products separately into the US and Canada, which will add extra logistical costs.
However, Trump has had some success in striking trade deals though none of these deals appear to be completely nailed down. Both Japan and the EU have agreed to accept a general tariff of 15% applied to all their goods entering the US. The EU has cancelled its threats of retaliation on US goods and has promised to buy more American military equipment and energy though this is quite vaguely worded. Many European leaders are unhappy with the agreement, some having characterized it as a surrender, but it could give European manufacturers some degree of certainty, which is always good for business.
One further sticking point is the efforts from all the European nations to rein in the worst excesses of the international online platforms, which are mostly American. France, for example, has launched a criminal probe into the X platform, alleging that algorithms were manipulated to promote more divisive content. Then there is the EU’s Digital Services Act, which seeks to curb online hate speech but has been characterized by Americans as an attack on free speech.
This fits with another aspect of Trump’s presidency, as he seeks to use tariffs to influence or even to pervert the justice system in other countries. His efforts to bully Brazil into dropping charges against his ally Jair Bolsonaro by threatening 50% tariffs appear to have backfired. Bolsonaro is alleged to have masterminded a botched coup attempt after losing the 2022 presidential election. But the threat has given the leftwing president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a boost in the polls and helped push the country closer to its main trading partner, China.
Trump is now threatening India with secondary tariffs for importing Russian oil, which supports the Russian war effort in Ukraine. This is in addition to a 25% trade tariff that Trump has threatened to apply to Indian exports to the US in an effort to reduce America’s US$ 45 billion trade deficit with India. This could knock 0.2% off India’s GDP for this year.
However, India has signed a trade deal with the UK which will see India reduce its tariffs on some British exports, including whisky, cosmetics, high value cars and some aerospace, electrical and medical devices. In return, the UK will accept more clothing, footwear and jewellery as well as some foodstuffs and cars. It’s worth noting that while the UK is the world’s sixth largest economy, India is the fifth largest and expected to become the third-largest within a few years.
Meanwhile July has brought yet more problems for the British economy as the latest GDP figures for May show that the economy contracted by 0.1%. This has also hit the value of the Pound, which fell relative to the US dollar as investors were put off by the poor economic news and opted for the dollar as a safe haven. The Office for National Statistics, or ONS, has put UK inflation in June at 3.6%, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, up from 3.4% in May. This is mostly due to prices in food and transport having gone up.
A survey by the British Retail Consortium has found that food prices have risen across the UK by around 4% for this year up to July, largely due to increased costs of raw materials, which itself is partly caused by climate change and extreme weather damaging crops. In addition, the interest payments on government borrowing rose to £16.4 billion in June 2025, which was nearly double the amount paid in June 2024, due to rising inflation.
This is putting more pressure on the government’s finances and driving expectations of further tax rises in the autumn. However, the government has ruled out the wealth tax that many of its supporters and its own MPs have called for. There is a fear that taxing the wealthy will cause them to leave the country, though it’s hard to see how that would be a bad thing.
Elsewhere, the Dalai Lama has celebrated his 90th birthday, raising fresh questions about the future of Tibet as his passing will leave a political vacuum for the Tibetans in exile while they await the discovery of the new incarnation. And of course the Chinese government will exploit this and attempt to name its own puppet Dalai Lama in its ongoing attempts to crush the will of the Tibetan people.
But then this is a continuing theme around the world, as those in power seek to destroy any dissent. We can see this right through the recent news cycle, from Tibet, Hong Kong and Taiwan, to North Korea, Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, DR Congo and even the streets of Los Angeles. Even the financial pages increasingly spell out the economic pressures within Europe that mean for many voters freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.
On the other hand, at least it all keeps journalists and newspaper presses gainfully employed. Or at least some presses. One of the main stories in the graphic arts from July has been the difficulties that Landa has run into, with the company having applied for court protection from insolvency. For now, the company has been granted two months to negotiate a sale or find new investors so there will be more to come on this story in the next month or so.
There are 50 presses currently in the market, which proves the technology works, but those printers will be struggling to source the ink and other consumables required to keep these presses running. One so far unremarked consequence of the Landa story is that some media outlets will be – or at least should be – a lot more careful about reprinting press releases without first checking the validity of their claims.
Fujifilm, which went to great trouble to launch its Acuity HS single pass wide format printers earlier this year, has now rebranded this series as Acuity Aristo (which apparently is not a nod to Disney’s AristoCats). The machines themselves are built in Spain by Barberán, and the first one is being installed this month at Linneys in the UK.
Xerox has updated two modules in its FreeFlow Workflow Software. Thus FreeFlow Core now gains a PowerSplit Accelerator to intelligently split large or complex jobs for parallel processing to improve throughput. In addition, FreeFlow Vision Connect now offers customizable data reports, new metrics for measuring overall equipment effectiveness, expanded predictive monitoring across more devices, and advanced capabilities to transform data into interactive, visually immersive insights and analysis. Terry Antinora, senior vice president and head of product and engineering at Xerox, commented, “These new capabilities help clients take on complex production challenges while delivering real-time visibility and smarter performance.”
Kyocera has announced a new TPA series thermal printhead that is mainly aimed at barcoding applications in markets such as distribution, food processing, and healthcare. This benefits from an improved heat conduction from the heating element, which gives greater flexibility in mounting these heads. Kyocera is quoting speeds of 250mm per second, which translates to 150 mpm, and is claiming that the images remain sharp even at the higher speeds. Kyocera is also claiming a long service life, suggesting that each printhead is capable of printing up to 100 km on a Ricoh thermal paper with minimal wear. These heads should be in full scale production in August.
Linx has introduced a new Black Ultra Strong Plastic-Adherent Ink 1061 for coding and marking applications to rigid plastics and plastic films using the Linx 8000 Series CIJ printers. It’s suitable for PET and low surface energy substrates, including OPP, BOPP, HDPE, and LDPE and should mostly eliminate the need for plasma treatment on the packaging. It can also be used for substrates that have a thin layer of grease or oil coating on them, as well as on frozen food packs prior to freezing. It fully complies with industry standards such as the EuPIA European Printing Ink Association Exclusion Policy.
Inkcups has updated its entry-level direct to object printer, the Helix One, which can print direct to cylindrical objects from 33-116mm in diameter. This now gains an automated job set-up system and a new SureBond Primer that can be jetted through an optional seventh channel.
Gregory Harwood, Director of Digital Product Management & Global Service for Inkcups, commented, “The Helix One’s affordable price, compact design, and scalability make it an ideal solution for businesses looking to expand into printing directly onto cylindrical objects. These upgrades enhance the pre-press file preparation stage with auto file and barcode scanning; as well as allow for an even greater range of applications with our upgraded jettable primer and the addition of a smaller diameter capability. We are always impressed by the creativity and innovation of our customers, and we can’t wait to see what our Helix One users produce utilising these new additions.”
Graphtec GB, which distributes wide format equipment in the UK market, has signed an exclusive agreement with WidInovations in Portugal to distribute its range of CNC cutting, routing and engraving solutions in the UK. This includes the Widcnc R150e, which will take boards up to 1.5 x 3m and has an 8-zone vacuum table. It uses helical rack and pinion on the X/Y axes and a ball screw on the Z-axis on 25 mm linear guides.
Tom Kneale, Managing Director of Graphtec GB, said, “We have had a long and successful partnership with WidInovations and already have many important customers in the UK. This partnership ensures that our existing and potential customers have access to world-class equipment and our dedicated engineering support, enabling them to maximise their investment.”
SwissQprint is building a brand new demo centre and warehouse for its US subsidiary. The new facility will be in West Dundee, Illinois, and is 130 percent larger and ten minutes closer to Chicago O’Hare airport than the current premises in Elgin, Illinois. Kilian Hintermann, CEO of swissQprint, commented, “We continue to see North America as a growth market. This new facility for our US subsidiary is a testament to our commitment to serving our North American customers even better.” Nonetheless, this seems like a brave move giving the uncertain tariffs and trading conditions, which will almost certainly push up prices in the US.
The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers has made Queen Camilla an honorary freeman and liveryman in recognition of her work in promoting literacy. The Guild of Stationers was formed in 1403 to represent booksellers and limners, who decorated and illustrated those books, with printers also included from the early 16th century. Today it broadly includes the communications and content industries, and even journalists.
Appointments
Durst has appointed Johann Strozzega as Director Global Sales Graphics. As such he will take over most of the day to day sales role from Christian Harder, who remains Chief Sales Officer, freeing Harder up to focus more on group-wide strategic topics. Strozzega has previously worked with Harder in the Ceramic Printing market segment of the Durst Group.
Christoph Gamper, CEO and co-owner of Durst Group, commented, “With Johann Strozzega, we are bringing an experienced manager with a strategic compass to the top. My thanks go to Christian Harder – for his strong commitment and for actively shaping this transition. We do not fill leadership roles based on status but on substance and future viability – for our customers and the sustainable success of Durst Group.”
Koenig and Bauer North America, which is based in Dallas, Texas, has promoted Gerrit Zwergel from CFO – a role he has held for 25 years – to also take on the CEO role. This follows the former CEO, Kilian Renschler, returning to Germany for personal reasons. Top of Zwergel’s in-tray will be dealing with the current tariff situation for both the US and Canada.
At the same time, the company has also promoted Chris Talbert to chief operating officer, giving him a seat on the management board at Koenig & Bauer (US/CA). He has been at the company for 21 years, most recently as senior vice president of service operations
Andy Lydiatt, who previously worked for the British PSP Precision ProCo, has joined the Preprint Group as its new Director of Strategic Growth. He will help the group achieve its goal of bringing together the print, technology, marketing services, and creative capabilities into one connected business, as it looks to celebrate its 100-year anniversary in 2026. Mark Handford, CEO of Pureprint, commented: “Andy’s appointment is a key move as we step into the next phase of Pureprint’s evolution. We’re investing in top talent to help shape a more connected, agile Group—one that’s equipped to keep growing, keep innovating, and keep delivering for our clients in a changing world.”
EPS, which is an American subsidiary of Xaar, has appointed Tom Bertke as Sales Manager with responsibility for selling Xaar’s Versatex printbar in the North American market. He has over 30 years in capital equipment sales, including 25 years specialising in inkjet technology, mostly in labels and packaging and having most recently led the sales team at Hitachi’s Industrial Marking and Coding division in the US. The Versatex Printbar is based on Xaar’s Nitrox printheads and suitable for adding varnish, tactile embellishments, security effects and variable data.
Chris Ellis, President at EPS, welcomed Bertke, saying: “His unique insight into UV printbar integration, combined with his long-standing familiarity with Xaar’s printhead technology, makes him the perfect person to help converters unlock new digital capabilities and drive greater value from their existing production lines.”
The American company Channeled Resources Group, which manufactures release liners, thermal labels, and pressure-sensitive roll label stock as well as papers and films, has promoted Max Hayes to the newly created role of Business Development & Product Manager. He will continue to act as account manager to his existing label accounts, but will also focus on strategic business development for release liners in the composite, medical, and label sectors, as well as identifying new product lines and markets. Ginnie Gandy, Sales Manager, Release Liners at CRG, commented: “He’s incredibly tuned in to our customer needs and brings a fresh perspective that will be instrumental as we expand our liner offerings and enter new markets. We’re excited to see him take this next step.”
First published on 4th August 2025 in the Printing and Manufacturing Journal. Reproduced by permission.
