Information on global economic conditions and their impact on the Australian printing industry will feature in the presentations of speakers at the Standards Based Printing – Your Passport to World Colour dinner briefings in February.

Printing Industries’ economist and National Manager for Policy and Government Affairs, Hagop Tchamkertenian (pictured top right), will provide the latest industry update as well as talking through some of the steps companies can take to minimise business disruption in turbulent times.

"It’s very important that companies don’t panic into sacrificing their strengths. Benchmarking universally shows that profit leaders invest in their primary resource, their employees, in good times and bad," he said.

"So, while focusing on cost control, you should maintain your investment in your key people because education and training is even more important in tough times."

Keynote speaker Andreas Kraushaar (pictured right), will also be emphasising managing in tough times and focusing on the opportunities printing businesses can create through colour management processes. Mr Kraushaar is the Head of Fogra’s Prepress Division and an expert on the development and implementation of colour standards.

He believes that colour standards are an integral part of making printing simpler by eliminating costly and time consuming variables. Mr Kraushaar says that the fewer the number of variables involved, the more certain the production process becomes.

However, implementation of standards, such as the new Australian Standard AS 12647-2 launched in August last year would not take away from company quality differentiation.  

He believes that by having a colour standard a company guarantees a minimum in printing quality at a very high level, but this also leaves open opportunities for an enterprise to specifically optimise that standard to their market or personal preference.  

Fogra is known to printers and graphic reproducers around the world and is arguably the most authoritative technical body serving the print and graphic arts industry.

The dinner briefings will be held in Melbourne on 24 February, Sydney 25 February and Brisbane 26 February.  

Mr Kraushaar’s visit has been organised by the Australian TC130, a joint venture of the Printing Industries Association of Australia and the Lithographic Institute of Australia, promoting the implementation of international standards into the Australian market as a means of ensuring that our industry can compete on a global basis.

The event is being sponsored by Kayell Australia and Epson.  

To register online click here or call Printing Industries on 1800 227 425, e-mail: fogra@printnet.com.au