The Ever-Evolving

HONG KONG

Hong Kong print

manufacturers
see improved
conditions in 2015
By Teri Tan

Did

you hear that? It was a collective sigh from the Hong

Kong print manufacturing industry the moment the U.S.
economy started recovering and the greenback strengthening.
Of course, now the Chinese juggernaut is slowing, pockets of
Europe are suffering, and the forecast for Australia is rather
dismal. But most of the signs out there, print manufacturers
agree, point to a sunnier 2015.

ver at Regent Publishing Services, first-quarter sales have been encouraging. I remain optimistic of the industry and of Regents future, says
managing director George Tai. The world, by and large, still requires
ink-on-paper products, despite the popularity of e-devices and e-books.
In fact, there have been indications that people are going back, in significant numbers, to buy printed books, and that is really very promising
for both print manufacturing and publishing industries.
Another positive sign is the strong and still-growing childrens market across the
world. A few years ago, there were concerns that e-books and digital devices would
replace traditional print titles even in the childrens segment, says Leo Paper director
Alvin Lai. But the current market situation clearly indicates that the concern was
overblown. Lai adds that his R&D team has been focused on edutainment elements
through launches of Leo Touch secondary processes and Haptic Magic (sense of
touch) applications to support product development and market differentiation.

Seeking Balance and Profit

Still, smaller print runs, shorter turnaround times, and lower inventory levels in the
whole book supply chain remain harsh realities challenging publishers and print manu18 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y A U G U S T 1 7 , 2 0 1 5

PHOTO MBBIRDY

Printing Business

Printing in Hong Kong 2015

facturers alike, says Kit Wong, assistant general manager of C&C
Offset Printing, pointing out that these have pushed supply chain
efficiencies to the limit. China remains one of the best places for
top-quality book manufacturing, despite escalating costs driven
by higher wages and environmental protection measures, Wong
says. The appreciating Chinese yuan has also eaten into printers
profit margins. But good things have come out of these: more
automation and less waste throughout the whole color management and manufacturing processes, for instance. It calls for a
change in thinking and modus operandi.
For Lai, the euro fluctuation and unstable European economy
is a striking contrast to the comparatively healthy growth in the
U.S. and U.K., which are our biggest markets. Having said that,
we are expanding our business with several big Italian publishers
on licensed books. Lai now leads Leo Paper, together with general
managers Henry Woo and Andy Lau, following the retirement of
former directors Kelly Fok and Henry Tang last December.
Hikes in wages are the most significant issue of all, says
Samuel Chung, sales and marketing director of Chang Jiang
Printing Media (and formerly of Millenium and Excel), who has
spent almost 40 years in the industry. Back in 1988, Excel
production workers in Guangzhou earned $30 per month. Now,
the minimum monthly wage in China has hit $580, and that
does not include employer taxes and insurance coverage, which
are both very costly.
But even at higher wages, the labor market remains tight,
because the younger generation prefers to work in nonmanufacturing industries. Increasingly, automation is a proven way out.
Last year, we were able to deliver the same output with significantly less manual labor, and we are automating even more while
further improving our processes this year, says Matthew Yum,
executive chairman of Hung Hing. But automation only goes
so far, which is why our team is also putting more emphasis on
planning efficiencies and looking at concepts such as sheet
pooling, optimum runs, and overall equipment effectiveness.

Advancing Digital/Hybrid Printing

Senior management at publishing houses is the primary driver of
digital ink-jet printing adoption, according to CTPS global business director John Currie. Procurement teams from large publishing groups or companies, especially, understand the business
proposition of reduced inventory, which automatically resulted in
increased working capital, he says. But now we are seeing SMEs,
who have even more reasons to control their inventory levels and
manage operating costs, joining the adoption drive.
Digital ink-jet printing, Currie adds, is the right fit for higher
education and STM publishers, for whom print quality needs to
be acceptable and ink-jet-optimized stocksfor short-to-medium
runs ranging from 40 to 1,000 copiesare available in the
market. Trade publications, which require heavier ink coverage
on glossy stocks, are less amenable to digital ink-jet printing, he
says. Still, we are seeing more orders of full-color short runs
ranging from one to 50 copies on our HP Indigo presses.

The life cycle of a book (reused with permission from HP)

But trade publishers are in for a big surprise with HPs newly
launched High Definition Nozzle Architecture (HDNA) technology. HDNA, with its new printhead, software, firmware,
and electronics, allows book and journal printers to print with
breakthrough quality and speed, explains David Murphy,
worldwide director of marketing and business development for
HPs ink-jet high-speed production solutions. He adds: The
new printheads have twice the native resolution at 2,400 nozzles
per inchup from the previous 1,200with dual drop weight
per color. This means sharper text, finer lines, smoother color
transitions, wider printable color gamut, and enhanced highlight and shadow details with accurate skin tones on print. The
productivity, as tested on HP T400 ink-jet Web press, has also
increased, from 600 to 800 feet per minute, marking a 33%
increase in speed. Additionally, built-in nozzle redundancy in
HDNA enables the printheads to print longer at higher quality.
But the best part, Murphy notes, is that these new printheads
are the same size and shape as the ones used todaywhich means
that the technology is fully upgradable on current HP presses.
The new HDNA technology enables printing of full-color
trade books and journals, commercial materials, and other publications that include or require high-quality photographs,
Murphy says, pointing out that HP has more than 250 types of
stock (standard coated and uncoated as well as ink-jet-optimized)
tested in its media certification and ColorPRO programs.
While printing digitally may or may not be cheaper than
offset printing, Currie of CTPS points out that one cannot
deny that by matching print to bookstore order, for example,
there is no return stocks and therefore less wastage, clearer
invoicing, and no re-warehousing issues. He adds, Such benefits in time, money, and resources have resulted in a continued
uptake in CTPS digital printing business and services.
As a result of these developments, savvy publishers are taking
a hard look at where digital printing can best fit each books life
cycle. If, previously, digital printing was used solely to revive
out-of-print and backlist titles through on-demand production,
today it is applicable at every stage of a books life: it can be
used to produce limited quantities of bound galleys for events
or for test marketing prior to main rollout (prelife), to print
promotional copies for market launch (new life), or to release
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

19

Printing in Hong Kong 2015

customized versions of popular and proven titles (midlife). So
print manufacturers such as CTPS are offering hybrid offset/
digital printing capabilities to give publishers the best of both
worlds and the opportunities to further unlock the full value of
their titles.

Investing in the Future

Proj ect Sho wca s e

Consolidation within the Hong Kong/China printing industry

will persist in the foreseeable future, says Yum of Hung Hing,
and firms that add value or are more fully integrated will stand
a better chance in gaining market share. He adds: For us, it is
about staying at the forefront of innovative print technology, and
seeking alliances and partnerships that will further expand our
product offerings. At the same time, we deliver more value with
services such as foreign rights assistance to international childrens book publishers looking to sell in China, and integrated
logistics solutions so that clients can increase their revenues from
existing content and lower their total costs. Hung Hings papertrading business, for instance, helps clients by offering bulk purchase and distribution of stock to appointed printers.
Chang Jiangs Chung, on the other hand, finds ample opportunities by becoming a reliable partner to mainland Chinese
printers that are seeking overseas clients. These printers are
very good at utilizing new machineries and printing technologies to supply to overseas market but their knowledge of CTP
[computer-to-plate] and prepress processes is still lacking, he
says. So we help themand, by default, their clientsby
ensuring quality prepress, which leads to better work efficiencies and cost effectiveness.
Then there is 1010 Printing Group, which took over Australian
print group Opus barely two years after acquiring Asia Pacific
Offset. Such inorganic growth automatically brings about new

clients and market access beyond the Hong Kong/China shores.

Collectively, the industry is now talking more about solutions than print, per se. And that is because while the aesthetics
of a printed product can always be enhanced with various techniques and new technologies to justify its cost price, engaging
the client (and getting them to come back repeatedly) brings
in the money (and profit). Client loyalty comes through
rewarding experiences and collaborative effortsand that has
the printers scrambling to form alliances, build partnerships
and be an extension of the clients operations.
In other words, the boundaries between the roles and responsibilities of a printer and those of a publisher are shifting. For
the publisher, letting the printer do more makes sense as it
allows them to focus on their core competencies. For the printer,
taking on more of the publishers responsibilities builds loyalty,
and that, in the long term, translates into money. What drives
everything is the goal of having the agility to thrive and survive
through economic (and industry) highs and lows.
To find out more on what is working and how the plan goes,
PW sat down with several major export printers, listed below
in alphabetical order:

C&C Offset Printing

Standardizing book formats, building Web-based estimating
systems, and using more environmentally friendly materials
will go a long way toward improving efficiencies, reducing
costs, and lowering the carbon footprint, says assistant general
manager Kit Wong. Our fully developed ERP system is periodically upgraded to cover all functional areas, and it offers
complete transparency. It provides our clients with more control
over their print projects and increases their confidence in the
whole manufacturing process.

Forty Sights of the Old Chinese

Summer Palace
This unique project, licensed by the National
Library of France to Shanghai Far East
Publishers for publication, was manufactured
at C&C Offsets Beijing plant. Our team
carried out on-site color calibration twice at
the library, and they had to put the original
case material under the microscope in order
to match the shade and pattern of the
Chinese cranes on silk cloth, explains
assistant general manager Kit Wong, pointing out that antiforgery
measures were applied using an embedded RFID tag. This bookreproduced using the same texture and
in the same extra-large format as the original, with each of the 40 spreads measuring 85.2 cm 148.4 cm
is the culmination of conventional printing expertise, hand-binding skills, new color-management technologies,
and antiforgery and RFID tracking capabilities.

20 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y A U G U S T 1 7 , 2 0 1 5

Printing in Hong Kong 2015

The consolidation in the U.S. book industry isnt negatively
impacting C&Cs market share, observes Wong. On the contrary,
we are seeing an increase in our share due to strong support from
many long-time clients. Given that we have worked closely
with American publishers for nearly 30 years now, we do have
a strong foundation to meet new challenges coming from both
the publishing and printing industries.
But some challenges, such as the West Coast port congestion
resulting from strikes, are beyond C&Cs control. Some of our
titles were delayed up to four weeks earlier this year, and we
immediately set up a taskforce with our freight forwarders and
U.S. sales personnel to inform clients, monitor the progress,
and update the status accordingly, Wong says. Open and
constant communication with clients is very important in such
situations.
As for maintaining its competitiveness, careful investment is a
must. Wong notes: We need to tread carefully around capacity
expansion. We look for capital investment that produces higher
work efficiencies and quality products while simultaneously
reducing dependence on manual labor. Last year, this strategy won
for us a total of 388 international awards given out by experts such
as those from the Printing Industries of America [PIA], Printing
Impressions magazine, and the Binding Industries Association.
Diversification of the printing business is gaining steam.
Our stationery business has picked up in both China and Asian
markets after we tested the waters over the past couple of years,
Wong says. Winning the top award at the London Stationery
Show last year has given us the confidence and encouragement
to delve further into the segment. Wongs sales team has been
distributing notebooks in the Chinese market, while expanding
its Hong Kong business with a new line of decorative masking
tapes. Since July 2014, our masking tapesdistributed via
physical and online storesare available in Hong Kong, Japan,
Singapore, and Taiwan. There are more than 30 designs, and
they are very popular. We aim to become one of the biggest
masking tape design houses in Hong Kong in the near future.

Chang Jiang Printing Media

A primary production facility in Chengdu, in Sichuan province,
with 400 staff, and three officesin Guangzhou, Hong Kong,
and Shanghaiform the operational base of Chiang Jiang
Printing Media, which is focused on complex pop-ups and handassembly titles. Sales and marketing director Samuel Chung, who
has a 30% stake in the Chengdu facility, likens the company to
a print brokerage firm with considerable in-house production
capabilities. We have a sales office in New York to support our
American clients, while we work exclusively with two printers
in Shanghai, he says. In general, we manufacture pop-ups and
complex jobs in Chengdu, and conventional titles with various
types of binding are done in Shanghai. The companys main
communication hub is its Hong Kong office, whereas production
and quality issues are dealt with at the Guangzhou and Shanghai
offices, due to their proximity to the manufacturing sites.
22 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y A U G U S T 1 7 , 2 0 1 5

The idea of having a Shanghai liaison office, Chung notes, came

from the realization that many printers in China have little experience in dealing with overseas publishers. The day-to-day communication, the printing jargon in different languages, the need
to be transparent in their production workflow and processes:
these are areas that are murky to most mainland Chinese printers
and are sometimes ignored. At the same time, overseas publishers
would lose out if such lack of communication or transparency
detered them from using these printers, because their pricing,
especially in the case of those located further north from Shenzhen,
is very attractive. We are stepping in to bridge that gap.
Recent months have seen Chung and his team working on
complex titlesincluding Star Wars, One Red Dot, Blue 2,
Cinderella, Beauty and The Beast, 600 Black Spots, The Jungle Book,
and Pesci Tropicaliby pop-up masters Robert Sabuda, David
A. Carter, Matthew Reinhart, and David Hawcock.
We are focused on getting better value and producing highquality products for our clients, Chung says. And to do that,
we are actively sourcing and training more manufacturing
partners that can offer great prices and services to overseas publishers. Chung notes that his clientele is mainly composed of
medium and small publishers. The search for reliable clients
is always on, he adds. As it is, a printer, by default of the credit
terms, finances the whole manufacturing process until payment
is made 60, 90, or even 120 days after completion. That puts a
lot of stress on the print manufacturers cash flowbut thats
the nature of the industry. I dont see that changing. All we can
do is reduce the cost burden by being more effective and
efficient, and bringing in more projects to defray the overhead.

CTPS
The print manufacturing business, says global business director
John Currie, is constantly evolving and bringing new opportunities to add value for clients. Oxford University Press, for
instance, originally engaged CTPS solely for digital printing.
However, its contract has since been expanded to include
mailing solutions for journals to subscribers in more than 50
countries in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. This opens
up warehousing and inventory management opportunities,

John Currie, global business

director of CTPS

Located in:
Hong Kong,
China and
Singapore.

Supports reduced
inventory model.

Suitable for large or

small quantities.
x100

x10
BOOKS

Customisable, mid to
short run and POD
digital printing

Smart warehousing
facilities in Singapore,
Hong Kong and China

Specialising in books and

journals for:
Higher Education
Science & Medicine
Trade Publications

Digital printer and

solution provider of choice
by leading Publishers.

Experts in Print and

Distribution, track & trace
and warehousing facilities

QUALITY PRINTING SOLUTIONS

THE PROFESSIONALS IN PHYSICAL AND
DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION

SINGAPORE OFFICE

HONG KONG OFFICE

Address: 223 Mountbatten Road #03-28

Singapore 398008
Email: inform@ctpsdigiasia.com | Tel: 65 6538 2282

Address: 6/F, Reliance Manufactory Building,

24 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong
Email: sales@ctpsdigiasia.com | Tel: 852 2873 1823

CTPS DIGIPRINTS IS PART OF CTPS HOLDINGS LIMITED

Proje c t Sh ow c ase

Printing in Hong Kong 2015

Happy Valley Phonics

(book/sticker/CD combo)

Essentially, this three-book series was a test

print run of 500 copies used for a soft launch
in Japan and was printed digitally at CTPSs
Dongguan plant. Unlike with offset printing,
where a fixed quantity of each title needs to be
set, we have the flexibility to mix it up here,
says Simon Moran, owner and CEO of franchise
school and ELT publisher Modern English. So
we printed 250, 100, and 150 copies of the first,
second, and third books, respectively. Digital
printing on wood-free stock, he adds, allows us
to produce titles where
students can write on
our full-color combined
student/workbook with
pen or pencilsomething that is not easily
doable on glossy paper.
Additionally, and fantastically, we can also
personalize each book
with school, teacher, or student names. And
given our businesss seasonal nature, the flexibility that comes with digital printing means that
we can plan ahead and minimize inventory, which
is very cost effective. We are definitely considering moving more titles over to digital printing.
Currie notes. And so we are embarking on smart partnerships
with various warehousing and logistics companies specializing
in B2C e-commerce, allowing us to offer unique and customized storage sites with commercial tracking linked to our
cloud-based DigiAsia portal. Additional warehousing sites in
China and Hong Kong are being planned.
Selling the business concept of reduced inventory coupled
with rapid replenishment to regional publishers takes center
stage, adds Currie. We have been involved in a few RFPs that
specifically focused on consolidation of print suppliers within
a specific region. It is obvious that big publishers are scrutinizing their overall print and supply chain, and this is good
news for CTPS; we are expanding our services to meet new
needs. By using us, publishers would essentially eliminate three
different parties in reaching their end consumer.
CTPSs Singapore-based company DigiAsia now offers
scalable business modules to fit each publishers needs, size, and
budget. Often, it boils down to short runs or the print-ondemand proposition, or integrated print/stock management
distribution in B2B or B2C, Currie says. For SMEs who want
the same solutions but not the budget for a full-run SAP, we

24 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y A U G U S T 1 7 , 2 0 1 5

can scale it down accordingly. We can also interface our portal

with the publishers inhouse system for real-time transparency
and control. This portal is the same one used for our commercial
print clients, and therefore it is very robust and always changing
to reflect market needs and innovative ideas.
With shifts in business have come changes in CTPSs management. Our senior management team has to drive the new
initiatives that are reshaping CTPS from a pure book printer
into a solutions-enhanced service company, says CEO Peter Tse,
whose company is now in its 51st year of operation. As such,
we now have professional managers in finance and production
from nonprinting multinationalsfrom the automotive and
electronics sectors, for instancewith deep knowledge of
business processes and supply chain systems. They understand
the inventory and supply chain management in the new economy
far better than those with traditional printing background. It is
definitely a transformation from a family business management
style. Another issue that I am addressing is succession planning
to better prepare the company for the future.

Hung Hing
The soft launch of Meet the Animal, the worlds first Bridging
Book technologyenabled publication, at the recent Hong
Kong Education Expo perfectly showcased Hung Hings diverse
expertise and collective capabilities in merging print with
digital elements.
The brainchild of BelugaBloo (a Hung Hing subsidiary) and
cocreator I-Square Education, Meet the Animal is a smartbook
that combines storytelling with tactile pages to deliver a
multisensory learning experience. General manager Yee Yu
notes: Each page introduces children to a number of popular animals living in different habitatsthe farm, the jungle,
the sky, and under the seaand is synchronized to a custommade mobile app. Flipping a page of the physical book triggers the corresponding content in the app, which works on
Apple iOS and Android devices. It delivers 30 minutes of
fun and discovery through visual and tactile elements with
professional narration.
The project took about six
months from conceptualization to mobile app development. Early reviews from
educators and parents have
been positive, and executive
chairman Matthew Yum,
whose company owns the IP
rights to the book, is open to
working with publishers in
different markets who are
interested in using this new
high-tech format for their
own titles or to distribute the Matthew Yum, executive chairman
new BelugaBloo title. I see of Hung Hing

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Printing in Hong Kong 2015

Suntory Premier Malt launch with

Bridging Book
Japanese brewer Suntory was one of the earliest
adopters of Hung Hings Bridging Book technology.
Marketed under its BelugaBloo subsidiary, this
technology gave Suntorys premier malt beer
launch a cutting-edge and innovative feel that was
especially appropriate for high-end consumers
in places such as Tokyos Roppongi Hills. The
glossy brochure pages are synchronized with onscreen content to provide a novel way of communicating the qualities of Suntory beer, and
illustrating the companys beer-brewing history,
explains commercial director Richard Lim, adding
that the client
only decided to
implement
Bridging Book
technology
three weeks
prior to the
launch. Aside
from fasttracking all processes, the team partnered with a
Tokyo-based app development company to work
on the digital part, and it was able to deliver the
product within the given time frame. The end
product worked beautifully at all launch sites, and
consumer feedback was positive, Lim notes.

a promising future and expanding market for products combining conventional printed books with digital elements, he says. With Bridging Book technology,
and ideas from BelugaBloo and various partners, our
strength in printing has been elevated to new levels.
Meanwhile, Hung Hing UK, which originated
from a partnership with MacLehose Associates, is
seeing renewed interest in original paper engineering ideas, cost-saving solutions, and in-house
innovations. It was recently involved in YouTubes
10th-anniversary A-Z promotional video; the team
developed a large pop-up book with moving mechanisms for the videos opening scene.
As for its partnership with shareholder Rengo
Japan, Yum says: They have been very supportive,
Henry Woo (l.), Alvin Lai (c.), and Andy Lau of
Leo Paper Group
26 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y A U G U S T 1 7 , 2 0 1 5

especially in the expansion of sales promotion tools and the

point-of-sale [POS] display business in China. We now have a
Japanese design director, as well as marketing experts based in
Hong Kong, and this has allowed us to propose the latest trends
in POS display designs from Japan to local markets. At the same
time, we have developed a supply chain strategy that includes
nonpaper materials, including aluminum and wood, in our POS
display offerings. I am very upbeat about this particular business segment.

Leo Paper Group

Coloring books are in vogue, and, for Leo Paper director Alvin
Lai, viewing it at a broader scope vis--vis our clients product
development strategy is the key. He adds, We ask ourselves:
Why is this segment growing, what is needed from the markets, and how can we support our clients and boost their
market share? Lai has seen coloring books become popular in
Europe and then in the U.S. Promoting mental health via
learning and education is becoming more important, and coloring books are a growing part of combating stress for adults.
Our team emphasizes two key elementsedutainment and
healthwhen developing such products and promoting innovative ideas.
The company is accustomed to adding special touches to clients products and offering other extras. Take a lifestyle product
such as a cooking or gardening title: we can enhance the value
by combining related accessories and packing it in a nicely
designed gift box, thus allowing it to be sold as a gift item at a
higher value rather than just as a book by itself, explains general
manager Andy Lau. He points out that Leo Touch secondary
processes have been around for more than 10 years and notes,
We are now applying these processes to product design, manufacturing, packaging, and even displays. At the same time, our
strong sourcing capabilities have given us a huge range of accessory items for clients to choose from to match their budget,
design, and safety concerns.

Proj e ct Show ca s e

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Printing in Hong Kong 2015

Minecraft Blockopedia
This 312-page case-bound book, conceived and developed by
Egmont Publishing UK, gave Leo Paper Group its first challenge manufacturing a hexagonal product. With an initial order quantity of
300,000 copies for delivery within six months and reprints to follow,
the team tried to uncover and anticipate all possible issues right
from the start, the dummy-making stage, and then discuss them with Egmont. The need to have all blocks and
six sides aligned properly was the biggest issue of all, says director Alvin Lai, whose team proactively arranged
for pre-production samples while exploring myriad production tolerances. We also proposed ideas for retail
packaging based on our clients preliminary requirements and concept. In all, a proactive customer-focused
mind-set, close client collaboration, mutual trust, and a determination to anticipate potential issues were key
in successfully delivering this title.

Touch, Feel, and Listen series

The Leo Paper team produced four different board books for YoYo
Books by combining innovative printing and electronic technologies
with a lot of forethought. Helping our clients to increase the perceived value of their products and to further differentiate their products from others on the market has always been our goal, explains
general manager Henry Woo. So when the concept came to us, we
immediately suggested that our client include Haptic Magic and various touch-and-feel elements to the pages.
For us, it is important for childrens books to have attractive designs, colorful graphics, and elements such as
sound, touch, and feel that will further enhance the reading and learning experience. Our suggestion was
implemented, and we were able to produce the titles cost effectively, even with the additional elements,
through lean and efficient manufacturing.
Then theres Haptic Magic. First introduced in 2012, it was
relaunched last year as a specially designed four-volume box set
showcasing the technology with different secondary processes.
More new ideas and innovative approaches in print will be
showcased in Frankfurt, promises general manager Henry
Woo, whose team has also created different sets of books
including Leo Touch Five Elements (on various bindings and secondary processes) and Touch-and-Feelto help clients with
product development.
In terms of structure, the group has reorganized itself into
four key areas: original equipment manufacturing (OEM),
packaging, sustainable business, and new business development. In packaging, a dedicated team now maximizes the companys resources in providing a total packaging solution.
Productionwise, as part of our vision, we have been implementing lean manufacturing since 2007. We also initiated
production automation back in 2012 to enhance production
efficiencies and reduce dependence on manual labor. We are
making great progress and are on the right track toward our
long-term goal of progressively shifting from labor-intensive
to capital-intensive production, adds Lai.
Recently, Leo Paper became the first printing company to

28 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y A U G U S T 1 7 , 2 0 1 5

achieve the Hong Kong Certification Body Accreditation

Schemes ISO14064-1 certification in carbon management and
reporting, and scored the highest mark on the corporate social
responsibility (CSR) index in Hong Kongs industrial sector.

Magnum Offset
Togetherness is the motto of 29-year-old Magnum Offset.
We believe in treating clients like friends and looking after
them as though they are a part of our family, says Vicky Chan,
the companys manager for overseas sales development. Our
concern is not just about problem-solving but also on how to
grow together with our clients. And during hard times,
we trust and look out for one another in order to stay competitive. This philosophy has worked very well for us based on
the fact that we have clients that have been with us for more
than 15 years.
Mixing Chinese culture with a Western mind-setprioritizing values such as teamwork, flexibility, open-mindedness,
creative thinking, and environmental awareness, for instance
has also resulted in better understanding clients, both local and
overseas. Our 24-hour response policy, regardless of time differences, pushes the envelope even further, says overseas sales

Printing in Hong Kong 2015

Proje c t Sh ow c ase

Regent Publishing Services

Beijing Tong Ren Tang annual report

Exposed section-sewn binding is not exactly

new, unique, or innovative. But for this particular
project it made sense. First off, the client
wanted a strong, specially made thread that was
dyed red to match its corporate color, says Vicky Chan,
manager for overseas sales
development, whose team
has seen projects with
exposed section-sewn
binding making a comeback
in recent months. The
striking color in itself meant
we had to be particularly
careful with the stitching
process. And then the client specified a very
unique way of stitching, giving the spine a pattern of its own. The lack of a proper cover means
that our production team had to manually separate each copy of the annual report with a piece
of paper before applying the glue.
manager Alice Fan, whose team has seen increasing demand for
digital printing in recent months. We also encourage our staff
to respond to environmental concerns and to propose FSCcertified paper, soy-based inks, and recycled materials wherever
appropriate. But our digital printing services are still mostly
used for marketing collaterals and event programs such as graduation booklets, presentation kits, promotional leaflets, pricelists, and catalogues. In instances where client requires 300
copies or fewer, which constitutes 2%3% of our new orders,
we would consider proposing digital printing, or a combination
of digital and offset processes, as it would be much more cost
effective and faster.
Overall, about 40% of Magnums business comes from overseas. Its Wong Chuk Hang facility in Hong Kong has remained
more or less the same size throughout the years. Its Dongguan
facility, on the other hand, has the production capabilities to
handle large orders for both domestic Chinese and overseas markets in luxury packaging, books, and other consumer products.
Furthermore, project inquiries are now coming from countries such as Chile, Panama, Peru, Saudi Arabia, and Tanzania.
Janet Yau, account manager for overseas markets, says, It is
fair to say that printing is not a sunset industry as many had
prognosticated in the past. New opportunities are constantly
being created by the marketplace and consumers, and by our
own experienced sales team. Grabbing those opportunities and
turning them into profits through stable relationships is about
finding alternative ways to meet clients budgets and exceed
their expectations. Such win-win situations will carry the day.

30 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y A U G U S T 1 7 , 2 0 1 5

For a print broker, price and delivery are negotiable, according

to managing director George Tai of Regent Publishing Services.
But quality is absolutely nonnegotiable, and that is how Regent
has survived and continues to serve many long-term clients
across the world, he says, adding, Flat management hierarchy
helps too, because clients
have direct access to me at all
times, and that makes for
strong and lasting supplierclient relationships.
For Tai, profitability is a
direct result of helping each
other out. We look out for
our clients interests by
giving them competitive
pricing, providing the best
service, and ensuring reliable
and good quality products.
And when their businesses
are profitable, they will come
back with repeat orders, and
that will make us profitable,
too. Talking about issues
be they production, pricing,
schedules, or shipping
openly and solving them George Tai, managing director of
Regent Publishers Services
together makes a huge difference as well: Honest and open communications ensure repeat
customers. Clients are comfortable with us and our services,
and that support means a lot to our longevity and reputation in
the business.
Persistence, reliability, and partnership are Regents hallmarks,
says California-based national sales manager Valerie Harwell.
This year is our 30th anniversary, and our long-standing reputation is something that we are really proud of. So, in celebration
of this major milestone, we are planning to produce a revision
our resource book, which serves as a sample of our printing,
binding, and hand work capabilities, and our marketing materials. Clients can find paper samples, a glossary of industry terms,
a conversion chart, and a variety of stocks and materials used to
create books. Harwell and her team distributed more than 4,000
copies of the previous version, as it was very popular among our
clients and within the industry, and we expect the same reception
for the new edition, which is coming out in a few months.
Trendwise, Harwell sees significant growth in adult coloring
books, which are not difficult to produce at all, and their
popularity is not fading any time soon. Overall, we have been
fortunate to not be too adversely affected by the West Coast
port strike, and our customers remain faithful. Business is not
bad, which is encouraging, but we continue to push harder for
great quality, better prices, and faster delivery on behalf of our

customers.