under the original name Heights (UK). Itek Colour
Graphics was bought out from Heights in 2003 and continued
to make its distinctive vertical drum scanners for many
years, only stopping in 2019.
Late in 2018, Congra SARL, which owns Belgian packaging
pre-press developer Hybrid Software, bid to take over
Global Graphics PLC. It did not succeed, but Congra’s
chairman Guido Van der Schueren (who was already
Global Graphics’ chairman too) ended up with a 50.9%
majority shareholding in Global Graphics PLC.
Global Graphics and Hybrid remain separate operations,
although with synergies. “There is technical collaboration
between Global Graphics Software and Hybrid Software on
the Fundamentals bundle of technologies, from which
OEMs can create a simple digital front end for the labels
and packaging market,” says Bailey. “This comprises PackZ
and CloudFlow from Hybrid; and Harlequin and ScreenPro
from Global Graphics Software. Fundamentals is sold to
OEMs by Global Graphics Software. Hybrid also resells the
Harlequin RIP.”
Who’s in charge?
Justin Bailey took over as MD in January 2018 after three
years as VP sales. His earlier career included 15 years at
Canon UK from 1987 to 2002, ending up as senior sales
executive.
Johan Volckaerts, a Belgian, was the first chairman and
CEO of Global Graphics SA from 1996, then chairman
from 2007 until 2014 and thereafter a non-executive director,
stepping down in March 2019.
In May 2014, Volckaerts was succeeded as chairman of
Global Graphics by Guido Van der Schueren, another
Belgian who was and remains chairman of Hybrid Software
and its owner Congra SARL. He previously founded Ghentbased
labels and packaging pre-press developer Artwork
Systems in 1992. After Esko acquired Artwork Systems, he
stayed for a while before moving to Hybrid.
Mike Rottenborn became CEO of Global Graphics PLC
on 1 January 2020, replacing Gary Fry who had been CEO
since 2008. Rottenborn has worked in the graphic arts
sector for 30 years and founded Hybrid Software in 2007.
Global Graphics Software’s long-standing chief technology
officer is Martin Bailey, no relation to Justin. He’s been
well known in the international standards community
since the early 1990s, starting with committees for PDF/X
and the CIP3 Print Production Format. He’s since been
chair of CGATS and CEO of CIP4 (which developed JDF).
He’s currently chairing the PDF Association PDF/VT
Competence Centre and is project editor for the upcoming
PDF/VT-3 variable data format.
What’s next?
The postponement of Drupa 2020 interrupted plans for a
major new product announcement, so Global Graphics
held an online “virtual rollout” on 28 April. The new launch
is Direct, a “major new software platform for digital
presses.”
According to Rottenborn: “Direct is the first fully integrated
product line from Global Graphics, featuring our
unparalleled Harlequin RIP technology, Mako for file
optimisation, our award-winning ScreenPro and PrintFlat
products for inkjet digital printing, tight integration with
printhead drive electronics and software from Meteor
Inkjet, workflow for labels and packaging from our partner
Hybrid Software, and the global reseller network of our
newest subsidiary, Xitron.”
The group hopes to resume normal trade show activity
this autumn at Labelexpo Americas and Printing United.
April & May 2020 Printweek
URW Type Foundry is a German type company with a
well-regarded portfolio that pioneered the digitising of
fonts in the 1970s. Its design studio is in Hamburg.
Deep roots
The company’s roots go back to 1986 as a computer language
development company called Harlequin Ltd, based
near Cambridge. Its founder Joe Marks was a regular presence
at industry events for the next decade. Harlequin
developed a RIP for the emerging PostScript page description
language, apparently first used in a production system
in 1988.
Harlequin became a significant alternative to Adobe,
which had invented PostScript and PDF and offered its own
RIPs, then as now. But in 1999, Harlequin ran into difficulties
and briefly went into liquidation. It was promptly
acquired by Global Graphics SA, a company that had been
formed in Belgium in 1996, originally dealing in the flexo
plates sector.
In its first few years, Global Graphics acquired several
flexo and litho pre-press equipment manufacturers, including
Heights, a Yorkshire based litho plate processor maker.
In the 1990s, Heights had acquired assets and staff of the
litho plate manufacturer Horsell Anitec. Global Graphics
then took over Itek Colour Graphics (ICG), one of the UK’s
first (and last) colour film scanner makers, from Photonics
Holdings, also owner of high-speed camera maker Hadland
Photonics. Heights handled the ICG range.
The various subsidiaries were realigned in 2001 as two
divisions: Global Graphics Software and Global Graphics
Hardware. In May 2002, Global Graphics Hardware was
bought out by its management and is still in operation
PLANS AFOOT
Its new ‘Direct’
technology drives
print jobs directly
to the printhead
electronics