PrintYorkshire – leading the way in innovation in new markets

PrintYorkshire is busy securing its future in the face of reductions in government support. Recent successes include the winning of competitive bids for research and development in printable electronics and the launch of the PrintYorkshire Portal – a web-based facility designed to generate opportunities for print business in Yorkshire.

PrintYorkshire is leading the way in innovation in new markets, helping to secure funding for two printable electronics projects.

"Print as the primary means of communication has been with us for half a millennium. While production methods have changed to make print relatively cheaper and widely available, the impact and engagement of printed media has not moved at the same pace as electronic media such as the internet and computer graphics," says PrintYorkshire chief executive Robert McClements.

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"With printable electronics, print can become more interactive and engaging. Its use as an informative and educational tool can be increased so that its value can be multiplied. The market for print can be sustained and even increased, with the consequent sustainability of jobs and businesses.

"The markets identified so far are education, retail, entertainment and the Third Sector. There will be other sectors, too, as the technology matures and production costs fall and the value added improves. Funding made available for this project will assist the printing industry to take the first steps into a new, but added value but risk-attached world."

The Printer Forum Autumn network events will address the potential of the Regional Growth Fund and the contribution print can make to Local Enterprise Partnerships, along with other initiatives from the BPIF and Two Sides.

The Print Power campaign will promote the case for print media in a multi-media world and its clear ability to inform and persuade; achieving more immediate and long-lasting results for stretched marketing budgets. In short, we need to tell those whose decision it is to chose media channels that print is effective as part of a multi-media campaign, with an impressive return on investment.

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The Two Sides campaign will promote print and paper's sustainability which has been criticised – often by those unaware of the facts and more cynically by those who seek to promote their own alternative communication media.

An active, fact-based, campaign will put the record straight.

Through advice and support on training and development, grants and business networking, as well as marketing and communications, PrintYorkshire will increase regional collaboration, better develop supply chains, increase productivity and innovation with the application of new techniques and create greater regional strength in the printing industry.

It just got easier with www. printyorkshireportal.com. The portal is your gateway to locating that printer in Yorkshire who can print that difficult job for you, is just around the corner, or who had the right accreditations. It's all here, together with an extensive glossary of terms and it's backed by PrintYorkshire, the networking organisation representing the region's industry.

For buyers, the portal is free to use. Register today at http://www.printyorkshireportal.co.uk/buyerregister.asp

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