Editor's note

The advent calendars have been opened and people are gearing up for Christmas. Any quiet time at work is likely to be replaced by end of year plans, but if you have a moment it's time once again to call for examples of the brilliant work you have produced over the last twelve months for our 2011 reviews. We've seen some eye-catching ones ourselves, from wrapped nightclubs near our Brixton office to a Dior taxi for London Fashion Week, to a black fingerpost sign lending a stately air to a walkers' path in the Birmingham suburbs. Send us your pictures!

Morwenna Kearns, editor
www.twitter.com/morwennakearns
morwenna@outputmagazine.com

Communicate with the rest of the Output team

James Matthews-Paul, publisher
www.twitter.com/signanddisplay
james@outputmagazine.com

Nick Smith, editorial assistant
www.twitter.com/digitaldsnthurt
nick@outputmagazine.com

Sophie Matthews-Paul, editorial consultant and Talk Print! expert
www.twitter.com/rockstro
sophie@rockstro.net

Laurel Brunner, editorial consultant and Talk Print! expert
www.twitter.com/laurelbrunner
lb@digitaldots.org

Last week, we asked our experts:

What's the alternative to Adobe PostScript?

"Whilst Adobe has dominated much of the graphics world, with many of today's RIPs relying on its engine, it is not the only player."
Read and comment

"There was a time when customers could choose from a dozen or so viable alternatives."
Read and comment

Come in from the cold and Talk Print! If you have a Question of the Week suggestion, or answer of your own, let us know using the methods below.

Comment directly on Output
Tweet using #talkprint
Email the editor

Sign-making

Prime cuts: vinyl cutting software
Feature Still vital bread-and-butter machines for sign-makers, vinyl cutters rely on their software to produce good results. Sophie Matthews-Paul outlines some of the options now available.

Sign and Digital Ireland 2012 dates confirmed for October

Signarama Reading gets new owners

Tekcel 'meets CNC router demand' with Tekcel GFX release

Eco-friendly signage products on show at Sign and Digital UK's Green Trail

Wide-format Print

Doing their bit: print and signage recycling schemes
Feature 'Environment' is a busy buzzword at present in the wide-format print and display sector. Morwenna Kearns catches up with some new and developed recycling programmes.

India threatens to boycott London 2012 over £7m Olympic stadium wrap deal with Dow Chemical

Quantum UV Technologies develops antibacterial ink for supermarket checkout adverts

Hollywood Monster gets festive with Justin Bieber Christmas lights switch-on

QR codes bring interactivity to rail station posters for University of Bristol

HP names Martinez EMEA vice-president and general manager for Graphics Solutions

Production Print

Going large with XMF
Feature Fujifilm has introduced XMF Print Centre, and is once again in the vanguard of workflow management. Laurel Brunner looks at the software.

Robert Horne to close local offices to 'centralise sales'

New financial deal could keep manroland going

RMC Digital Print 'going through exciting expansion phase' with £750,000 investment

Willsons Printers invests in Horizon StitchLiner 5500 for booklet business

Digital Signage

Ocean Outdoor launches two new 'iconic advertising structures' in London
Top story Out-of-home media site owner Ocean Outdoor has unveiled two new advertising structures near Canary Wharf in London, UK.

Outcast digital signage to spread road safety message at petrol pumps

Clear Channel's DOOH portfolio rebranded as Clear Channel Play

Camvine's pet project comes to fruition with vets' surgery digital signage network

New airport research from JCDecaux finds passengers are 'ready for even more engaging advertising'

On the calendar

Do you want to have Output's comprehensive, always up-to-date calendar of industry events directly on your own electronic calendar or smartphone? Now you can.

Right-click on the link below and 'copy link address'. You can then paste this link into Outlook, Google Calendar and other popular calendar programmes so you can plan your diary, without having to do the hard work of putting it all together.

You can read our full list of industry events on Output, but here's what's coming up shortly:

Printex 2011, Labelex 2011: December 15th – 18th 2011
Trophex: January 15th – 16th 2012
Dx3 Canada: January 25th – 26th 2012
Integrated Systems Europe: January 31st – February 2nd 2012
FESPA Digital 2012: February 21st – 24th 2012
Print Innovations, Packtech, Ecopack, Packaging Innovations, Contractpack: February 29th – March 1st 2012

Video of the week

Output's series of mini-interviews with Talk Print! expert and Mrs Ink-Jet Sophie Matthews-Paul, by her son and Output publisher James Matthews-Paul, continues with an overview of the HP Scitex TJ8600. Part of HP's demonstration line-up at its Barcelona site, the Scitex TJ8600 is suitable for fast throughput posters, as Sophie explains.

There are lots more films from Barcelona, and across the graphics display world, on Output's own YouTube channel, plus plenty of others we've collected on our world-wide web travels.