The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK or U.K.)[14] or Britain,[note 11] is a sovereign country located off the north­western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north­eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands.[15] Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland. Otherwise, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the southwest, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea separates Great Britain and Ireland. The total area of the United Kingdom is 94,000 square miles (240,000 km2).

The United Kingdom is a unitary parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy.[note 12][16][17] The current monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 1952, making her the world’s longest-serving current head of state.[18] The United Kingdom’s capital is London, a global cityand financial centre with an urban area population of 10.3 million.[19] Other major cities include Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, and Manchester.

The United Kingdom consists of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.[20] Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. Apart from England, the countries have their own devolved governments,[21] each with varying powers,[22][23] but such power is delegated by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which may enact laws unilaterally altering or abolishing devolution. The nearby Isle of Man, Bailiwick of Guernsey and Bailiwick of Jersey are not part of the UK, being Crown dependencies with the British Government responsible for defence and international representation.[24] The medieval conquest and subsequent annexation of Wales by the Kingdom of England, followed by the union between England and Scotland in 1707 to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the union in 1801 of Great Britain with the Kingdom of Ireland created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK’s current name was adopted in 1927 to reflect the change.[note 13] There are fourteen British Overseas Territories,[25] the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, encompassed almost a quarter of the world’s landmass and was the largest empire in history. British influence can be observed in the language, culture and political systems of many of its former colonies.[26][27][28][29][30]

The United Kingdom has the world’s sixth-largest economy by nominal gross domestic product (GDP), and the ninth-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). It has a high-income economy and a very high human development index rating, ranking 14th in the world. It was the world’s first industrialised country and the world’s foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries.[31][32] The UK remains a great power, with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally.[33][34] It is a recognised nuclear weapons state and is sixth in military expenditure in the world.[35] It has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946.

The United Kingdom is a leading member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Council of Europe, the G7, the G20, NATO, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Interpol and the World Trade Organization (WTO). It was a member of the European Union (EU) and its predecessor, the European Economic Community (EEC) for 47 years, between 1 January 1973 and withdrawal on 31 January 2020.

Photo Credit
Photo by Emily Wang on Unsplash
Photo by Heidi Fin on Unsplash
Photo by Robert Tudor on Unsplash

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Wayne Beckett & Morten B. Reitoft · INKISH acquire 50% of Printing-Connect and Printing Expo

This edit will teach you more about the acquisition and what it will lead to. Wayne Beckett and Morten B. Reitoft are now colleagues, and both are excited about the new opportunities this collaboration will bring. Listen, engage, react! AI curated Transcript: Morten B. Reitoft and Wayne Beckett have announced a groundbreaking merger between INKISH and Print Connect. This partnership brings together two industry pioneers who share a vision of creating a global presence and a unified platform for the print industry. Print Connect, launched over a year ago, has made significant strides, with 420,000 unique website visits and over 2 million page views in the past year. Its database boasts nearly 40,000 businesses, but as Wayne Beckett acknowledges, it lacked a crucial editorial component. “Having Morten as Editor-in-Chief of Print Connect Online is a game changer,” Wayne stated, highlighting the collaboration’s potential to enrich their offerings. Morten expressed equal enthusiasm, noting his admiration for Print Connect Online’s innovative approach, including virtual expos that have reshaped industry engagement. “We’ve always seen INKISH as a content creation company rather than just a media platform,” Morten explained. The merger combines INKISH’s expertise in content with Print Connect’s robust platform, creating new opportunities for both companies and their audiences. The partnership plans to expand Print Connect into a four-tier platform better serve print service providers (PSPs) and converters. The first level includes an affordable membership, costing less than €50 annually, which grants access to an extensive library of educational resources, files, and films tailored for printing companies. This initiative establishes an online repository to facilitate knowledge sharing and community building. Additionally, the merger introduces the concept of Joint Membership Programs (JMP), which will encourage physical user groups. These events will unite multiple companies to foster collaboration and mutual growth. Higher platform levels will cater to OEMs, suppliers, and software companies, offering sponsorship opportunities and online webinars. Wayne and Morten also outlined the redefined roles within this new structure. Wayne will focus on sales and international trade shows, while Chris Beckett will handle backend operations, including content management and posting. Morten emphasized the importance of maintaining the original vision and ensuring continuous shareholder incentives, with Wayne and Chris retaining stakes in the business. Financially, the merger includes INKISH’s acquisition of a 50% stake in Print Connect, intending to increase ownership to 80%. This partnership ensures Print Connect’s growth, backed by INKISH’s resources and expertise. “When we sat down at the non-event in Denmark and discussed this opportunity, it was a no-brainer,” Wayne remarked, expressing confidence in the collaboration’s potential. The merger promises enhancements without disruptions for customers and industry participants. Both companies are committed to delivering improved services and new engagement opportunities. “If you are a PSP or converter, sign up for Print Connect Online,” Morten urged, hinting at exciting developments. This partnership marks a significant step forward, combining the strengths of INKISH and Print Connect to drive innovation and growth in the print industry. Wayne aptly concluded, “We’re looking forward to the future for INKISH, Resolve, and the products we produce.”

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Dorinda Gibbons · Director · Profile Recruitment

Dorinda Gibbons has worked as a recruiter focusing on the Graphic Arts Industry for the past twenty years with great success. It's about matching talents, and in this chat, we get a chance to understand how she works and the value she brings to the table. It's great to hear the HR perspective, which rarely happens!  

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Holly Steedman · Business & Technology Dev. Director · IST Intech · PRINTING United Expo 2024

At PRINTING United, we got to catch up with Holly Steedman from IST Intech. IST Intech is owned by IST Metz, known for its UV solutions for many different types of printing presses, and IST Intech is a UK-based company that focuses on integration partners. So IST Intech is more about a special solution that can be used, not only in the printing industry but in any industry, utilizing LED-UV. IST Intech also entirely focuses on digital print solutions. In this interview, we learn how IST Intech and the Business & Technology Development Director get more and more customers in the American market. Holly Steedman is always interesting to listen to, and you will also often see her speaking at various conferences - so stay tuned!

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Adam Grieve · Managing Director · Taopix

Photo products continue to be an exciting market for producers and retailers. They need software to get orders and let consumers design and order their unique designs. Taopix is a 17-year-old software company from the UK that quietly (relatively) has grown into a company serving customers globally. The former CFO, Adam Grieve, was recently promoted to the Managing Director of Taopix. In this interview, we get insight into his role, his work, how Taopix at drupa launched the cloud-based solution - and what opportunities this brings to the market. Super nice talking to Adam Grieve, so please enjoy the interview :-)

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Sarah Kilcoyne-Guilliame – Tour de Drupa 2024 · Celebrity Tour

Our second featured celebrity is Sarah Kilcoyne-Guilliam, who recently became the Sales and Customer Success Director with British Solopress. Enjoy!

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Andreas Aplien & Karl Ciz · CoCoCo · Connect

These days, a new player on the Software scene is being presented—the company's name is CoCoCo, and the founders are well-known people from the industry. In this interview, we get the chance to talk to two of the three founders, Andreas Aplien and Karl Ciz. It's 35 35-minute interviews, but super interesting to learn from - what is CoCoCo, why does it matter, and what benefit does the software provide its customers? In the interview, Aplien and Ciz share an example from one of the company's customers, where it seems apparent that the savings using CoCoCo deliver a truly rapid return to the buyer - but listen for yourself!

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John Blyth · Ricoh Europe · PreDrupa LIVE · May 14th 2024 · Replay

Morten Reitoft and John Blyth discuss the upcoming Drupa 2024, reflecting on the excitement and challenges leading up to the event. Blyth mentions that it's been eight years since the last Drupa, and there's a significant amount of anticipation and celebration around the event. He highlights Ricoh's readiness to showcase its innovations and commitment to its client's success through partnership and transformation. Reitoft notes that it's Ricoh's fourth Drupa, emphasizing the company's relatively recent emergence as a major player in the industry. Blyth recalls joining Ricoh 12 years ago when the company was still establishing its presence, and he expresses pride in Ricoh's rapid development and expansion since then. Blyth explains that attending Drupa was an easy decision for Ricoh, as it provides a unique opportunity to showcase their refreshed production printing hardware range, including the Pro Z75 (the world's first B2+ inkjet sheet-fed device with aqueous ink and auto-perfecting) and the new flagship high-speed inkjet Webfed device, the Pro VC80000. Ricoh aims to create a memorable experience with their "House of Hinkaku" theater, featuring a multisensory show highlighting their commitment to transformational innovation. Reitoft asks about the meaning of "Hinkaku," which Blyth explains as "transformational innovation," emphasizing fundamental and far-reaching change. This ethos underpins Ricoh's approach to innovation, which involves collaboration with partners and clients to meet their specific needs. Blyth mentions the importance of aligning their products with market needs through consultation and feedback programs. He recalls the successful launch of the Pro Z75, highlighting the collaborative effort between Ricoh's Japanese R&D team and European staff. Reitoft compliments Ricoh's booth design, noting its contemporary and minimalist style with Japanese influences, including a theater structure reminiscent of a Japanese temple and calming gardens. Blyth confirms the booth's bright accent colors, including pink and purple, and hints at a Japanese flavor in their offerings. The interview concludes with Reitoft thanking Blyth for his time and looking forward to seeing him at Drupa.

The digital transformation in Corrugated + one years anniversary · Mark Dempsey · HP

In this online interview, Mark Dempsey from HP and editor Morten B. Reitoft chatted about the digital transformation in the corrugated industry. Dempsey explains that the business case moving to digital from flexo is easier than moving from offset to digital in the folding carton segment. We also talk about the C550, which today, February 14th, 2024, celebrates its first year in the market - a warm congratulations to HP for the achievement. Enjoy!

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Eef De Ridder · VP EMEA Graphics Communications Group · Ricoh

Eef de Ridder is the Vice President of the EMEA Graphics Communications Group and has for years influenced how Ricoh has positioned itself as one of the major players in the industry. In the interview, Eef de Ridder explains that Ricoh in the graphics arts segment is a new player and that it was only in 2012 that Ricoh entered the market - and maybe you remember - the 9xxx and 7xxx series were true game changers with high-quality, lower acquisition and operational cost. The inkjet business came along with the acquisition of IBM's print division and its InnoPrint machines. Of course, we also talk about the current offerings and market positioning of Ricoh - their new Pro Z75 and VC80000 are products Eef de Ridder and Ricoh have expectations for. Under all circumstances, a super interview that I am sure will give you great insights!

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Unboxing AGFA SpeedSet 1060 · Sean Smyth · Pira International

Everything that can go digital will go digital - and in a presentation at the Unboxing event of the new AGFA SpeedSet 1060, Sean Smyth from Pira International explains the trends. Editor Morten B. Reitoft gets the opportunity to ask whether AGFA ticks all the boxes with their new press - so dig in and learn :-)