T

he publishing industry, in
general, has been quick to
move into digital by creating
apps at a dizzying pace, says
executive chairman Matthew
Yum of Hung Hing. How-
ever, given the crowded market, only the
best can thrive and profit, so publishers
have become more wary about new tech-
nologies. In that sense, acceptance of new
ideas has slowed, and bigger publishing
houses have instituted a more diligent
process in assessing every new idea
involving nonpaper products. But that
means that interesting and promising
ideas may get passed over.
Yum believes that merging the physi-
cal product with apps is the future. In
Adaptability and
diversity are key
to longevity in a
fast-changing
book world
B T T
Remember that production axiomQuality, turnaround,
price: choose any two? That has been debunked by Hong
Kong print manufacturers, whose collective expertise and
business savvy deliver proven quality at the required budget
on schedule. Now, these suppliers are upping the ante by add-
ing another dimension to the production challenge: digital,
as in digital products or digital printing. (And yes, you can
have all four.)
P U B L I S H E R S WE E K LY A U G U S T 1 8 , 2 0 1 4 18
THE PRINTING
BUSINESS IN
HONG
KONG
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Visit us at www.ctps.com.hk or www.ctpsdigiasia.com
Contact sales@ctpsdigiasia.com for further enquiries.
Hong Kong
T +852 2873 1823
6/F, Reliance Manufactory Building,
24 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen
Singapore
T +65 6538 2282
223 Mountbatten Road #03-28
Singapore 398008
CTPS DIGIPRINTS is part of CTPS HOLDINGS LIMITED
The Leaders in
Digital and
Offset Printing
The Professionals in
Physical and
Digital Distribution.
Celebrating 50 years of
printing expertise
One of the largest Digital
Print providers in APAC
Customisable, short run and
POD digital printing supports
reduced inventory model
Located in Southern China,
location allows easy access
and distribution
International and regional
Scope of service extended to
include distribution and track
and trace facilities
Specialising in the following publishing sectors:
Education
Science, Technology and
Medicine
Trade
Travel
Journal
P r i n t i n g i n H o n g K o n g 2 0 1 4
P U B L I S H E R S WE E K LY A U G U S T 1 8 , 2 0 1 4 20
the cover may still be printed using off-
set. So we offer a hybrid manufacturing
model that utilizes the best of both
methods to help publishers meet their
price points and quality standards. In
2013, Regal won a Benny Award in dig-
ital printing for Moet & Chandon Cham-
pagne Cookbook and Fuji-Xeroxs Top
Growth in Print Volume Award.
Over at the print brokerage firm Jade
Productions, digital printing is rarely
used as clients invariably get better
pricing from their on-shore digital print-
ing suppliers. Sometimes, clients do
require a small quantity of sales materials
or samples for test marketing, and we
would go for HP Indigo digital process.
However, we classify such projects as pre-
press works instead of actual orders, says
managing director Ken Kong.
But it is a totally different game for
CTPS with its HP inkjet web and Indigo
presses. The past two years (since its first
inkjet web press was unveiled) have
clearly documented the scope of accep-
tanceand adoptionof digital print-
ing in a region long recognized for its
offset printing expertise. Presently, we
are seeing digital applications across all
book segments with most of the orders
for customization and personalization of
book covers. Higher-ed publishers, spe-
cifically, are following their U.S. and
European counterparts in creating
regional flavors in a bid to further dif-
ferentiate their titles from the competi-
tion, says global business director John
Currie, adding that the next step is the
customization of text pages, where digi-
Hung Hing, we call this Apps Plus, and
our team currently has two such tech-
nologies that we branded as Bridging
Book and TouchCode. Both make the
content come alive by utilizing digital
apps that go beyond what a conventional
book can offer. Interactive elements,
games, videos, animation, virtual reality,
you name it. The Little Musician series
(see sidebar, p. 26), for instance, applies
the TouchCode technology, while pat-
ent-pending Bridging Book, launched at
the 2013 Frankfurt Book Fair, allows a
seamless flow of content and artworks
between book and screen, where flipping
a book page will simultaneously refresh
the screen on the app. The first few
Bridging Book titles are expected to be
out later this year.
Over at Leo Paper Group, its associate
company MotherApp augments its print
and digital businesses to offer both to
clients. StoryMate, our latest project, is
a concept connecting physical books
with an app. It synchronizes with the
physical book and interacts with the
reader based on the content of the physi-
cal storybook page, says director Alvin
Lai. It effectively turns traditional read-
ing on a printed book into a totally digi-
tal and interactive reading experience.
Offering Hybrid Printing
Solutions
Now that content has mostly been digi-
tized and books disaggregated into
chunks of information, the printing
model needs to evolve as well. Hong
Kong print suppliers are not standing
idle. Most have added digital printing
presses to their production lineup so as
to offer hybrid offset/digital solutions
that give clients the best features of both
worlds.
Regal Printing, for instance, has been
offering digital printing since 2006.
We have Fuji-Xerox C800 and C1000
for four-color printing, and one Xerox
Nuvera for black-and-white projects.
These presses are supported by a slew of
machineries that cater specifically for
digital printing. So we can handle virtu-
ally all types of binding regardless of the
printing method, says managing direc-
tor Maurice Kwan, adding that his com-
panys digital printing services have been
extended to cater to exhibition and con-
vention needs with quantities as low as
10 copies. Urgent tender document
printing is another area that we serve,
and we find that digital printing pro-
vides the greatest flexibility and speed in
turning around such projects.
Small print runs is another area using
digital printing at Regal. Clients from
the educational market may print 10 or
20 copies to test the market, and then
order more if the project gets the green
light, Kwan says. Or they can opt for
offset printing if the quantity is high
enough to make it viable. On the other
hand, we have overseas clients who used
to do offset printing with us, but now
have to turn to digital printing due to a
drop in market demand or production
budget. In such cases, we help them to
switch to digital printing even though
HP T300 ( l.) and Indigo 7500 on CTPSs digital printing floor
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P U B L I S H E R S WE E K LY A U G U S T 1 8 , 2 0 1 4 22
ing order quantities. Retailers continue
to be cautious on overstocking and will
reduce orders suddenly to match demand.
I think the major challenges this year
and in the foreseeable futureare going
to be more shorter runs, quicker deliver-
ies, and a much more pronounced spike
in the peak season.
Dealing with the above difficulties is
definitely on every print suppliers to-do
list. PW sits down with several major
export printers to find out what they
have been doing and how they plan to
move ahead.
C&C Offset Printing
Our core business of book printing con-
tinues to do well, especially in the U.K.
and U.S. markets, says assistant general
manager Kit Wong, adding that while
the global purchasing strategy adopted
by the big publishing groups does exert
some pricing pressures, it does help to
ensure stable business throughout the
year once the agreement is in place. Nat-
urally, volume does sometimes come at
the expense of higher profit margin, but
in the longer run, it all works out well.
Meanwhile, Wong and her team are
committed to continuous improvement
in productivity and efficiency. Our mis-
sion is to work hand in hand with our
clients and help them cope with the
demands and changes in a highly com-
petitive market. Creating more value for
our customers has always been our belief,
and we have been putting a lot of effort
tal printing with its variable data capa-
bilities will shine. This is where e-learn-
ing initiatives with customized text-
books come in, and publishers need to
quickly understandand seizethis
market potential.
Publishers in Asia Pacific, adds Currie,
are beginning to grasp the digital print
model and are more open to explore dig-
ital applications that fit their specific
segment. Instead of looking purely at
unit cost per book, these managers are
now factoring in the total cost, which
covers inventory and warehousing and
the whole supply chain. Those focused on
reducing inventory by doing short runs
are seeing the financial benefits of digital
book production.
STM and trade publishers have also
started using CTPSs digital printing ser-
vices to provide print on-demand. The
orders from these two segments have
been steady, says Currie, and the applica-
tion takes advantage of the companys
fulfillment and logistical support within
the region. Later this year, these clients
will be able to access CTPSs new digital
printing platform for auto-ordering and
stock replenishment.
Belaboring the Labor
Topic
Print manufacturing has always been
labor intensive, especially in the hand-
work/assembly segment. Even the most
efficient offset production floor requires
at least a dozen skilled operators to work
a line from paper-trimming to binding.
This poses a major problem in the Pearl
River Delta print manufacturing hub,
where the labor market remains tight
even as minimum wage spikes to the
highest ever. For many, automation is a
way out of this situation.
Leo Paper Group, one of the biggest
employers in town, has embarked on a
$37.8 million production automation
strategy to circumvent the issue. This
strategy is key to our customer service
pledge, where we strive to find ways to
reduce reliance on manpower while
working on enhancing our production
efficiencies, says managing director
Kelly Fok, pointing out that automation
is currently applied to secondary pro-
cesses (such as foil-stamping, silk-screen-
ing, and die-cutting) to improve produc-
tion quality, speed, and efficiency. For
handwork assembly, we are using robotic
arms, and mechanical and electronic
tools that are either sourced from suppli-
ers or designed in-house to accommodate
our workflow needs. There are also auto-
matic lines for casing-in and perfect
binding, and five new HUV offset print-
ing presses to help replace manual labor
in bulk production.
Last year Leo Paper Group reorganized
its OEM business down to two pillars
business and manufacturingwith rel-
evant supporting units. Simplifying our
company structure has improved man-
power planning and management,
enhanced operational efficiencies and
effectiveness, and streamlined the overall
workflow to minimize overlapping
departmental functions.
Adds director Alvin Lai: We have
reduced labor by 16% in the past 12
months, with our total staff holding at
around 12,000. That is really amazing
when you consider that we once had
25,000 people in our Heshan production
plant. His team has also been imple-
menting value stream mapping to ana-
lyze and design the flow of material and
information while ripping out in-process
manufacturing waste. This lean manu-
facturing method helps to eliminate non-
value-added activities to drive down
costs, increase capacity and shorten the
production lead time. All these strategies
benefit both Leo Paper and its clients.
Thinking Back and
Ahead
While the overall economy seems to be
better than that of the previous year,
growth in the major economies has been
rather erratic. According to Yum of
Hung Hing: The first quarter of this
year saw extreme cold weather in the
U.S. affecting consumer patterns, and
that effectively slowed down new order
placement. Numerous retailers also cut
back on inventory cycles, further affect-
Jackson Leung, CEO of C&C Joint
Printing Co.
At Hung Hing, we continue to reinvent and innovate to offer new solutions
to our business partners. We enhance the joy of Reading and Learning by
integrating modern technology with physical books.
The Bridging Book (a patent-pending technology) is only available at
Hung Hing, your one-stop creative, concept development, print production
and apps development centre.
Visit our corporate website at
www.hunghingprinting.com or www.belugabloo.com
for more innovative technology or contact one of our
sales representative at info@hunghingprinting.com
for a demo or more information.
Hung Hi ng Pri nt i ng Cent re, 17-19 Dai Hei St reet , Tai Po I ndust ri al Est at e, New Terri t ori es, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2664 8682 Fax: (852) 2664 2070 Email: info@hunghingprinting.com Website: www.hunghingprinting.com
Unleashing
the Power of Innovation
THE Bridging Book
TM
"This is so very cool!" - The Mac Observer
"Tablets and books can live in perfect harmony" - Gizmodo
"Le rsultat est plutt intressant" - CNET France
P r i n t i n g i n H o n g K o n g 2 0 1 4
P U B L I S H E R S WE E K LY A U G U S T 1 8 , 2 0 1 4 24
right after the 2013 Frankfurt Book Fair,
and the volume since then has far
exceeded what we had in the past two
years combined. So, yes, we are seeing
multinational publishers operating in
this region coming onboard, and we
really like the year-on-year trajectory.
Currie points out that two HP inkjet
web presses (T300 and T410) and three
HP Indigo (W7250, 7500, and 10000)
are sufficient to cover the current market
demand. Ongoing investment in this
segment will be focused on the front-end
system catering to on-demand printing
solutions.
The migration of short runs from off-
set to digital is gathering momentum
while our overall businessin both off-
set and digitalis rebounding after an
all-sector decline last year, adds Currie,
who has seen publishers either shutting
or downsizing their print-buying offices.
The print-buying function is going
back to being centralized, so printers
capable of stepping in and effectively
liaising with these centralized print con-
trol units are now more attractive to
these publishers. This scenario is not
unlike that of the financial printing sec-
tor, which saw document solutions pro-
vider Williams Lea growing rapidly.
Both Currie and CEO Peter Tse are
into various technical developments that
cover not just printing but also advanced
IT technology. In March, for instance,
the C&C team showcased an augmented
childrens book with multimedia content
for enhanced reading and learning expe-
rience during a vocational training coun-
cil exhibition. Adds Wong: John Tsang,
the financial secretary of Hong Kong,
who attended the exhibition, was shown
the innovative product, and he later
wrote in his blog expressing his belief
that the wizarding newspaper in the
popular Harry Potter series will become
a reality soon.
Meanwhile, C&Cs own stationery line
is gaining a strong foothold in the
domestic Hong Kong and China mar-
kets. Aside from offering stationery
items through different distribution
channels in the mainland, we have also
created an online portal to help statio-
nery vendors sell their products. Over in
Hong Kong, our focus is on paper crafts
that are popular with the locals such as
otegami, origami, and washi tape. We
launched several products at the recent
Hong Kong Book Fair, and they became
some of the most sought-after items
when their photos went viral on Face-
book and Instagram, says Wong, whose
team works with local artists to ensure
local touch and flavors in the design. All
these products are sold at our sister com-
pany Sino United Publishings book-
shops throughout Hong Kong.
Next year, C&C Offsets parent com-
pany, C&C Joint Printing, will celebrate
its 35th anniversary, with numerous
events throughout the months. For
Wong, this celebration comes with high
hopes of continuing to create value-
added products and tip-top services to
our clients for the next 35 years and
counting.
CTPS
Convincing offset supporters to try
ink-jet production is not an easy feat in
a region populated by well-known print
suppliers armed with the latest Heidel-
berg, Komori, and MAN Roland offset
technology. Creating the appropriate
cost structure to suit regional publishers
was one of the strategies we employed,
and this has driven an adoption uptake,
says global business director John Currie.
Overall, our digital business went up
John Currie (l.) and Peter Tse of CTPS
Persiana
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The special cover treatment of this 24.6
18.9 cm illustrated book certainly
gives a new spin to the term touch-and-
feel. Nowadays, effects such as 3-D
varnishing, drip-off varnishing, and deep
debossing have become very complex.
The same goes for grain-sand varnish,
which was used on the cover of Per-
siana, says general manager Kit Wong,
adding that the 240-page book is one of
the most challenging projects her team
had encountered in recent months.
After full-color printing, we had to, first,
laminate the case cover, and then apply
the grain-sand varnishing before
embossing it. The outcome of the varnish, she adds, is affected by
factors such as screen angle as well as the temperature and duration
of the UV curing process. We are very happy to see this book go back
to print several times since January, and become one of the bestsell-
ing titles within our clients publishing group. T.T.
P r i n t i n g i n H o n g K o n g 2 0 1 4
additional services have expanded our
market share and improve our respon-
siveness to client needs. The U.K. office
has also been restructured to meet cli-
ents front-end needs by having more
people in project development and
seeing publishers spending more time
evaluating digital printing as a compre-
hensive answer that offers reduced inven-
tory and more efficient supply chain,
with short-run and on-demand advan-
tages. There are clear findings on unnec-
essary and avoidable costs when regional
printing and distribution are not
applied, says Tse, who has established a
Singapore office to offer distribution,
inventory control, and warehouse man-
agement in light of these industry
changeseffectively positioning us
beyond a pure printer.
Companies with more complex and
comprehensive offerings, adds Tse, will
emerge as the leaders in the next five to
10 years, and I want to see CTPS as one
of those leaders. But for that to happen,
we need to reorganize and manage our-
selves efficiently and professionally. So I
am working on restructuring the
groupwhere we have three compa-
niesto clearly define the scope of ser-
vices for each entity. We are also
progressing from being family
style to quasi-MNC in terms of
management.
Hung Hing
June marked the 20th anniver-
sary of Hung Hing UK, which
started as a partnership between
Hung Hing and MacLehose
Associates. What began as a
small two-person operation is
now a full-fledged office with 14
personnel providing the whole
gamut of print production ser-
vices for conventional books,
childrens products, and novelty
production. Two new divisions
were also created in recent years: HH
Deluxe packaging and HH/Creative,
says commercial director Richard Lim,
who points out, HH Deluxe is becom-
ing a household name for high-end pack-
aging printing in the U.K., and these
A: Room 1603, Eastern Centre, Shipyard Lane, No. 1065 Kings Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong T: (852) 2967 9360
E : jadepro@jadeproductions.com.hk W: www.jadeproductions.com.hk F: (852) 2967 1800
Nicholas Yum (l.) and Matthew Yum of Hung Hing
P r i n t i n g i n H o n g K o n g 2 0 1 4
P U B L I S H E R S WE E K LY A U G U S T 1 8 , 2 0 1 4 26
tory stocking and purchasing, capacity
planning, and value creation through
design and innovation. Cost, we believe,
is just one factor attracting clients to
work with Hung Hing. Our goal is to
offer a total package of products to attract
and retain our clientele.
Jade Productions
Books are customized products that
require service and hand-holding, says
managing director Ken Kong. Publish-
ers may not realize that by slightly mod-
ifying the books trim size or extent, they
can end up with a considerably more
cost-effective specification. Or that they
would have a less interesting or beautiful
product if they follow strictly the speci-
fication or image on the file supplied by
account knowledge building while leav-
ing the day-to-day operations on project
follow-ups to its customer service staff at
the Hong Kong and China factories.
Hung Hing, now in its second year of
partnership with shareholder Rengo
Japan, is seeing its consumer base
expanding to include such brands as
Pilot, Suntory, Morinaga, Bourbon, Lion,
and Kokuyu. The Japanese point-of-
purchase print and display accessories
industry has benefitted from our proven
expertise in paper products that comes
with comparatively lower handwork
cost. This enables our clients to go fur-
ther with their budget and sales promo-
tion strategies, says executive chairman
Matthew Yum, adding that Rengo and
Hung Hing will be working together to
extend these services to the domestic
China market.
Growth in traditional markets for
Hung Hing, says Yum, comes from con-
solidation rather than true business
expansion. We will continue to provide
more products and service offerings to
expand our business. Deluxe packaging
and Apps Plus are on the right track, and
we will be able to build future demands
on these unique products.
Automation, he adds, is essential in
the pursuit of production efficiency and
effectiveness. We are refocusing on the
soft skills needed to drive efficiency from
upstream activities. Data mining will
enable us to build a wider knowledge of
our clients and their activities, and to
help us improve in areas such as inven-
Little Musician Series
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The first print-electronic product of its kind, this series was created and produced by Hung Hing
and subsidiary BelugaBloo Ltd. in collaboration with a Hong Kong music school. Tar-
geted at kids aged two to eight, each book in the five-volume series comes with dedi-
cated iPad and iPad Mini apps. It uses a revolutionary print-
ing technique together with pattern recognition technology
to introduce children to new ways of learning music. Vol. 2:
Note Reading, for instance, comes with 28 printed music
cards and a free app. Users tap the card to the screen
to bring the app to life and activate the sound of a par-
ticular note, explains product development manager
Nicholas Yum, adding that the first four volumes are
now available in the market. More information is avail-
able from www.littlemusician.hk.T.T.
Pilot Corp.
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This order for one million sets took the Hung Hing team six weeks to complete.
One of the biggest challenges was the trimming of the 72-page miniature
books, which measure 36 22 mm each. That small size meant that the trim
tolerance was about 1 mm. Wrapping the plastic jacket over each book posed
another challenge as the cover used thin paper stock, and the risk of damaging
or wrinkling it during the process was extremely high, says commercial director
Richard Lim. He adds that the accessories used in the projectpolybag, jacket,
and string componentswere carefully selected and meticulously tested by the
quality-conscious Japanese client. This collaboration with our Japanese share-
holder, Rengo, enabled partial production in China and complete assembly
involving the pencil and pencil leadin Japan to cut down on the cost and time
needed to ship those Pilot items to China for packing. T.T.
MAGNUM
CREATIVE PRINTING
ART BOOKS I MAGAZINES I PACKAGING PRINTING
www.magnumoffset.com.hk
Untitled-1 1 11/17/09 6:23:40 PM
MAGNUM
CREATIVE PRINTING
ART BOOKS I MAGAZINES I PACKAGING PRINTING
www.magnumoffset.com.hk
Untitled-1 1 11/17/09 6:23:40 PM
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6
At Magnum, clear understanding and creative problem
solving is our top priority. Together with over 26 years of
printing expertise, we provide the best printing possible solution
which is guaranteed to exceed your expectations. To
achieve responsible production and accommodate inter-
national standards, Magnum holds the below certications:
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P r i n t i n g i n H o n g K o n g 2 0 1 4
P U B L I S H E R S WE E K LY A U G U S T 1 8 , 2 0 1 4 28
for around 180 Leonians. This move
underscores our managements confi-
dence in Hong Kongs future develop-
ment, the printing industry, and the
groups business growth, says managing
director Kelly Fok, adding that his Euro-
pean sales office is celebrating its 15
th

anniversary this year. Our Italy sales
office, which relocated from Milan to
Bologna in July 2013, just celebrated its
10
th
year in business, and we are all look-
ing forward to more anniversaries and
collaboration with clients globally.
In operations, with the childrens book
market trending toward increased focus
on education and interactivity, Leo Paper
has successfully created more interesting
products since Haptic Magic, its innova-
tive solution, was launched in 2012.
This year we continue to offer inspiring
ideas and innovative product applica-
tions as well as demonstrate how Haptic
Magic can help create value to clients
products, adds Fok.
Then there is Leo Touch, whose 60-plus
secondary processes developed inhouse
offer clients an array of visual and tactile
enhancement to make their products
stand out from the crowd. At the 2014
London Book Fair, a special boxed set
entitled Leo Touch Five Elements (metal,
wood, water, fire, and earth) was soft-
launched to showcase a mix-and-match of
secondary processes applied with special
designs, printing technologies, and tech-
their creative person or designer. It is in
our interestand our clients interest
that we assist in achieving the best pos-
sible product within their budget and
avoid any unpleasant surprises.
Jade Productions does not hesitate to
offer clients advice and tips, says com-
pany founder James Binnie. It has
always been the way we run this business.
Suggesting alternatives to make the proj-
ect fit the printing presses or suit the
paper stock better comes naturally. And
if the print run is too small, we will
encourage clients to put several titles
together for production and shipment.
Otherwise, they could run into problems
with minimum cargo size. On the whole,
this is about the personal touch and long-
term relationshipwhich defines the
print brokering business.
Sourcing and indenting paper is
another way Jade works to benefit its cli-
ents. We started purchasing paper and
keeping stock more than 10 years ago in
order to keep the cost stable. But at the
beginning, we only did it for special
projects requiring huge quantities of
paper or frequent reorders. Nowadays,
we keep a variety of stock to cater to dif-
ferent preferences. Smaller publishers
will benefit more from our bulk purchase
as they have wider choices while keeping
their manufacturing cost low, adds
Kong, pointing out that he keeps popu-
lar grades (115 gsm, 128 gsm, and 157
gsm) in different widths for coffee-table
books and juvenile titles, and one-sided
350 gsm and 400
gsm artboard f or
boardbooks. For
boardbook projects,
paper is the biggest
c o s t f a c t o r. We
al ways i ns i s t on
using the correct
grain to eliminate
cracked folding and
warpage issues, and
minimize waste
which will end up
with a better price
for the client.
There have been
no new or special
requests coming from clients in recent
months, notes Binnie. However, we
have more small orders from people we
have known for many years, but do not
publish regularly. It is good to know that
they have not lost their interest in pub-
lishing books. Business was slow in the
first half of this year, he adds, and then
all of a sudden, the orders started com-
ing in when we hit July. So, that home-
work and preparati on work done
months ago is finally hitting the produc-
tion lines now.
Leo Paper Group
Last October saw Leo Paper moving into
its new Hong Kong headquarters, a self-
owned two-story 32,000-sq.-ft. facility
Alvin Lai, Kelly Fok, Henry Woo, and Andy Lau (l. to r.) of Leo Paper Group
Ken Kong (l.) and James Binnie of Jade Productions
A Global Printing Company
Leo Stand: Hall 6.1, Stand D55
Experience how Leo can create value for your products.
Visit our stand at the 2014 Frankfurt Book Fair on October 8-12
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E-mail: info@leo.com.hk
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Leo Paper Group
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receiving enquiries from
the Middle East, South
America, Eastern Europe,
and Africa, and these are
from clients who are look-
ing for high-quality prod-
ucts and are willing to try
out creative production
ideas. Best of all, they are
happy to pay for the extras
that they are asking for. So,
while the general publish-
ing market may be down in
some parts of the world, there are pockets
of clients elsewhere looking for part-
nersfor book printing and packag-
ingin Hong Kong. We just have to be
optimistic and keep our eyes open, Chan
says, while admitting that print runs for
bound copies are going down amid
intense industry competition and changes
roiling the publishing industry.
In the coming months, Chan antici-
pates that mature markets such as the
U.S. will recover more rapidly than those
in Western Europe. The U.S. Federal
Reserve, with its fiscal and monetary
policies, will help to quickly pick up the
economy. On the other hand, over in
Australia, lower interest rates will con-
tinue as beforethus no changes to the
currency exchangeand the demand for
imports will maintain at current levels.
Regal Printing
Printing can no longer survive on its own
merit, observes managing director Mau-
rice Kwan. Printing has to be combined
with other means such as an electronic
niques. Adds Lai: This set guides our
clients and their designers on how to bet-
ter apply our secondary processes to their
products. It is about adding new value to
graphics and products, inspiring our cli-
ents and their designers, and letting them
know what is possible and available from
Leo Paper. At last years Bologna Book
Fair, Lai and his team successfully
launched Leo & Friends, a special edition
celebrating the 10th anniversary of the
secondary processes that is aimed at the
childrens book market.
Increasing business by deepening client
relationship is the business mantra at Leo
Paper. Supporting our clients business
development means continuing to
develop and expand our own business to
offer more value-added services, and get-
ting involved in our clients product
development as early as possible, says
Fok, whose team has continued to pursue
and upgrade its certification on sustain-
ability, security, and quality management.
Magnum Offset
The business strategy at Magnum Offset
is all about focusing on clients and what
they need, says Vicky Chan, manager for
overseas sales development. That is a
continuation from our strategy of previ-
ous years, and it has worked well. Our
team will continue to provide profes-
sional advice to clientswho face tre-
mendous pressure on production budget
and ever-changing consumer demands
and work on a partnership to create prod-
ucts that will bring in the margins for
both parties.
Recent months have seen Magnum
broadening its service lines to offer such
packaging as rigid box, artcard box, and
e-flute box, as well as paperbag. This is
a natural progression when you consider
the increased demand for consumer
goods that also includes books and digi-
tal products. We have also introduced
new production ideas, unique finishing
solutions, as well as novel print materi-
als. For instance, our clients have benefit-
ted from our research in applying offset
printing on canvas, touch-and-feel coat-
ing, multicolor pattern lamination, and
use of waterproof paper and 3D metal
stickers, says sales manager Alice Fan,
whose team is focused on increasing
Magnum Offsets profile abroad.
We have been working with Ameri-
can and Australian publishers in the
book, magazine, and catalogue business
for a long time, adds Chan. Our exper-
tise is known and our solutions appreci-
ated. However, there is a much bigger
market out there that we have not even
looked at. In recent months, we have been
Janet Yau, Vicky Chan, and Alice Fan (l. to r.) of Magnum
Offset
Properties
This 29.8 42 cm landscape catalogue with only 48 pages of text had unusual features
for Magnum Offset to handle. First off, the client wanted a shiny metal clamshell
box to accentuate the exclusiveness of the properties showcased in the cata-
logue. Aside from the oversized clamshell, the use of shiny metal required
a lot of vigilance during mass production and assembly. Every little
scratch or tiny bit of fngerprint can be seen very clearlyand avoid-
ing those were tough. Then, there are the application of spot
UV and spot matte UV for some of the text pages, adding to
the complexity. Overall, it took us several weeks to study the
project and produce the dummies before we went into fnal
production, says account manager Janet Yau. T.T.
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during this time, Regent remains strong,
reliable, competitive, and honest, says
national sales manager Valerie Harwell,
in the California office, adding, the abil-
ity to mediate challenging situations to
everyones satisfaction, and to continue
serving our clients and utilize our trusted
vendors even after problems have
occurred has set us apart.
While Regent has been diligently par-
ticipating in certifications and trends
ISO, Disney, and FSC, for instanceit
is our commitment to our core business
that has kept us afloat during the tough
times, adds Harwell, whose team has
been mindful of the ultra-low margins
platform to deliver the final product to the
audience. In a targeted one-to-one market-
ing campaign, highly personalized printed
matter can draw the audience back to the
product or company website, where his or
her preferences and purchasing behavior
are captured. Analytics is applied to fur-
ther customize and refine the print prod-
uctor create new content, either in
digital or print format, or bothfor that
consumer. To me, that is one direction that
print can go in the near future.
Recent years have certainly seen the rise
of e-publishing affecting conventional
printing, and few printers have not seen a
decline in production volume, Kwan
admits. Regal is fortunate in that we are
well established in the high-end quality
printing market, and this segment has
been largely spared the impact of e-books
or mobile apps. So we have our own brand-
ing and niche, and we are going to keep
growing in that direction. That niche has
seen Regal included as one of Sothebys
premium affiliates this year. Aside from
printing Sothebys auction catalogues, we
have also been busy working with many
reputable museums and art galleries, espe-
cially those in the U.S. for their coffee-
table books and collectible titles.
Combining the best of conventional
and digital printing is the way Regal
Printing operates nowadays. We are
equipped to handle ultra-short projects
requiring overnight printing and bind-
ing. One project saw us rushing out
within hours 20 copies of spiral-bound
A3-sized construction tender documents
in landscape formatto form 64 pages
for a real-estate developer. Then there
was one super-urgent project where the
file came in at 1 a.m. and we had to
deliver a total of 10,000 copiesof a
32-page 16 11-in. newsletter in two
language versionsto the Hong Kong
Convention Center before 9 a.m. Project
size, quantity, and lead time basically
dictates the printing method used.
Increased demand for ultra-short runs
has resulted in Kwan purchasing a semiau-
tomatic case-making and casing-in
machine from Italy, the first of such
machinery in the country. We are now
capable of delivering short-run hardcase
books from our New Territories facility.
Our goal to continue expanding in high-
end quality printing means that we must
provide all sorts of flexibility to clients in
terms of print quality and speedy delivery.
Regent Publishing
Services
Here is a print brokerage firm that began
30 years ago in Hong Kongs Regent
Hotel with a handshake between George
Tai and Laurence Orbach, founder of
Quarto. Today, Tai remains at the helm
of Regent while continuing his mostly
silent partnership with the Quarto
Group. While many brokers represent-
ing Asian printers have come and gone
Maurice Kwan, managing director of
Regal Printing
Luxury Houses
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For this 300-page catalogue, the publisher
Hong Kong Economic Times specifically
requested that mosaic tiles be incorpo-
rated into the cover design. Since the
tiles had to be of a certain color, grain, and
size, we had to source far more than what
we needed, and our team went through the
stock to choose the best pieces. Waste
was high, but it could not be helped. Then
there were the technical challenges of
assembling the tiles, fitting the assembled
piece onto the debossed part of the cover,
gluing it onto the board, and ensuring that it stay glued, says man-
aging director Maurice Kwan of Regal Printing. T.T.
George Tai, managing director of
Regent Publishing Services
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gon and ICC profiles floating around. In
fact, we deter clients from using any ICC
profile. If a client can produce a verifiable
G7 or Fogra standard proof, we can match
it, and in many cases we do so without
ever seeing that proof. Some clients have
even gone so far as to calibrate screen to
Fogra and test our ability to match what
they see onscreen. We are able to achieve
it with D-tone, densitometer, and our
eyes, and we print almost entirely with
stochastic FM screen.
FM screen produces a wider color
gamut, better contrast, and no moire pat-
tern problems. Best of all, we do not
charge any more than we do for conven-
tional FM screen. And how many printers
do you know who can set up a Fogra standard
sheet with stochastic screen in 20 min-
utes? Our staff has been doing it for every
job, and the major advantage here is cer-
tainty. WKT now has partners in China,
Europe, and the U.S. to market D-tone.
Meanwhile, WKTs lighter packing
solution, Airypack, won the merit prize
at the 2013 Hong Kong Awards for
Environmental Excellence (Green Inno-
vations) and recognized under Hong
Kong Green Label. It is now on track for
EcoLogo certification and the Carbon
Footprint credit scheme, Kuo says,
pointing that several high-profile clients
are using Airypack as a part of their envi-
ronmental commitment. As the pres-
sure builds for businesses to respect con-
cerns for sustainable packaging solu-
tions, we are confident that Airypack
will find itself in the mainstream of
environmental-friendly presentation
offerings.
and are careful not to over-extend our
sales and support staff in the U.S., Europe
and Hong Kong. We do realize that a
steady revenue without huge business
growth is actually a sales success in an
industry where less books are being
printed every year. As print runs go
lower, many projects are more economi-
cal going from web press to sheetfed
press, explains Harwell, and our typical
print run is from 1,000 to 10,000. So
many big projects that are scaling down
are coming to us.
Some might say that using a broker is
the choice of nonsophisticated buyers, she
says, but we continue to produce custom-
ized products for some of the biggest pub-
lishers in the industry. Our relationship,
consistency, and reputation are the basis of
our businessnot necessarily new and
innovative product lines or services. The
U.S. constitutes the bulk of Regents sales,
with the rest coming from Japan, the
U.K., South Africa, and Australia.
A profitable business, observes Har-
well, allows us to be there for our clients
reprints, sometimes five or 10 years later.
We find ourselves surprised at the busi-
ness strength of our largest clients as the
market changes, and we are proud to
serve them. Sure, the market has cor-
rected and we have lost business in some
areas, but we have held on to others, in
some cases for 15 or 20 years. We see
those businesses thriving and it makes us
proud. We continue to find new and
exciting businesses that need our exper-
tise even more, and we continue to fight
to keep our place in this industry.
WKT
Trust is something that companies like
WKT have taken years to build, says mar-
keting director Jeremy Kuo, and it is
working for us now as a bulwark against
the competitionthat, and the collective
industry expertise and logistical support
that makes this region such a printing
powerhouse. Our development with the
D-tone color bar is bearing fruit with cli-
ents who want some certainty in their
lives and, if possible, not having to travel
halfway around the
world to ensure it.
Kuo be l i e ve s
that clients work-
ing with his team
using Fogra and
G7 standards know
t ha t WKT c a n
deliver print that
matches the proofs.
This is not some
vague claim with a
lot of complex color
management jar-
Different packaging solutions using Airypack
DIY Type
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It took the Regent team more
than 15 months to move this
Potter Style book from the idea
stage to final product. While it
may look like a regular
paperback, this book actually has
three different paper stocks: 14
pages of reading section and 20
stencil cards with 19 sheets interleaving between each stencil card.
The 20 cardsthe books core elementcontain different stencil
images of the alphabet, and we have to machine-varnish both sides
of the card to improve its strength for repeated use, says national
sales manager Valerie Harwell, adding that manual binding with
additional stapling further reinforced the book. The perforation style
was also changed to enable the cards to tear off cleanly. The
technical issues were plenty, but our team managed to tweak the
usual production processes to deliver a great product. T.T.