Latest News

VAL is proud to bring you some of the latest news concerning the print leisure and merchandise industry, straight to our website for your enjoyment!

BEWARE OF PLASTISOL PRINTS

These products may well contain PVC & Phthalates!

The biggest danger posed is by phthalates and the harm they can cause to children exposed to them
Although the dangers of these substances are proven, they are still in use in some industries, and without due care, can appear in products that can come into contact with young people. In fact, there use in childrens toys is banned in the European Union.

One recent story hit the headlines about dangerous phthalates used in the iPhone
Greenpeace carried out tests on the iPod revealing hazardous materials in Apple's iPhones earphone wiring. They are now being sued by the USA's Center for Environmental health over the apparent disregard for product safety.

VAL is well aware of the dangers of phthalates & their effect on children

Date published : 20/02/2008

Are you ready for HD?

This news story is being published in high definition!

We want to shout about our high tech and state-of-the-art transfer production.

We are printing with cleaner crisper details, more vibrant colours, brighter & sharper images, and clearer fonts , so you can benefit from a high resolution design printed onto your promotional products, on almost any fabric.

More value for the same price!

Date published : 31/01/2008

Police in protest rally over pay

So VAL felt obliged to tip their caps to the hard working bobbies

After a quiet few years for the Cap, its finally back on top, and its all because of the UK police pay rally, and their decision to use printed baseball caps to promote their cause, and who better to print these caps than VAL Ltd?

We wish them good luck in securing a better pay deal in the future, and look forward to a brighter future for the baseball cap industry!

Date published : 24/01/2008

Totally offended ?

A man is risking a fine for having an 'offensive' slogan on his T-shirt.

So, what can you print on one?

He thought it was a bit of a laugh, but Peterborough City Council failed to see the funny side of David Pratt's T-shirt. He has been threatened with a £80 penalty notice after wearing a top with the slogan: 'Don't p*** me off! I am running out of places to hide the bodies.'

What you can and can't print on a T-shirt is largely down to interpretation. What one person might find funny, another could find insulting.

Using threatening, abusive, or insulting language is a criminal offence under Section 5 of the Public Order Act, even if it's printed on a T-shirt. This applies in England and Wales.

Another example was a shopkeeper was threatened with arrest for displaying a toddler's T-shirt in his shop window that had the slogan: 'Winner of the egg and sperm race.'

Probably the most high-profile row over 'offensive' slogans is the French Connection advertising campaign in Britain which used FCUK.

In 2003, a shop keeper in Bishop's Stortford was asked by police to remove an 'offensive' T-shirt from a front window display which depicted a drawing of a naked woman straddling her male lover, with the slogan 'the Joy of fcuk' underneath.

The slogan certainly riled the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which upheld 26 complaints about the logo. However, the slogan was eventually allowed in adverts after being registered as a trademark.

Date published : 24/11/2007

Digital Printing Innovation..

New technology firm “Inkski” has developed an innovative method of inkjet printing unlike any other on the current market.

This new method uses nanotechnology, and according to Inkski, could revolutionise the print industry. The invention uses a new high-speed inkjet nozzle that combines the productivity benefits of a digital process with the high throughput and quality of traditional 'offset' printing. The current drawback of inkjet based printing is the speed & quality at which they can print, making them unsuitable for many high volume printing environments.

It uses a rapid spinning cylinder and a laser to selectively fire ink on to the paper. Achieving speeds of up to 20 times that of a conventional inkjet printer. This could have huge implications for the printing industry, going from mechanical to digital printing methods means last minute changes and more flexible print runs, as well as lower setup & maintenance costs.

We look forward to seeing this new technology establish itself in the industry, but for the moment, the product remains in development.

Date published : 04/11/2007

Men in Pink..

Apparently 'pink' is again shaping up to be this summer's hot colour choice for men!!

According to sales statistics gathered by UK menswear retailer Moss, pink is currently the number one fashion colour for men. Sales of pink shirts and ties have steadily grown over the last few years from 11 per cent in 2004 to 16 per cent in 2006.

Perhaps there is something alluring about pink because it has been shown that women are more drawn to men wearing certain colour, and top colour is strangely enough, pink. Maybe it is because pink reflects confidence and sensitivity in the wearer, or it merely distinguishes you more from others. It can add colour and a little devil-may-care contrast to the usual boring suits or attire, and surprisingly matches very well with a variety of colour!

Pink has indeed become a fashion statement for men! They are sending out a clear message that they perceive themselves as modern, out of the ordinary, and special..

Date published : 05/08/2007

HP Masterpieces

New advancements in printing technology are helping bring priceless art to the streets.

Hewlett Packard are helping bring masterpieces out of the gallery and onto the streets of London with a selection of printed reproductions.

The new print process used involves a new vinyl called Epiflex. HP claims that when combined with waterproofing laminate, the vinyl can resist fading for up to three years. Their testing in an accelerated outdoors environment suggested this may in fact last up to ten years!

The event ' National Gallery's Grand Tour ' features reprinted masterpieces from the likes of Da Vinci and Constable printed and placed outdoors, creating as some passers by put it, seemingly real works of art framed and hanging from the walls and on the floors across central London.

In spite the technological standards, the printing was actually cost effective, the largest pictures cost around £200 to reproduce!

Date published : 21/07/2007

Adobe CS3 released

The final release of Adobes new graphics editing package 'CS3' has been announced as April 16th 2007.

Packed with new features, Photoshop CS3 also includes a pre-release version of a major upgrade to Adobe Bridge, as well as a preview release of the all-new Adobe Device Central. The suite will be released in six different versions: Design Standard, Design Premium, Production Premium, Web Standard, Web Premium, and the Master Collection, which combines all of the applications offered in the other suites into one premium package

If anyone is considering upgrading to CS3 it's going to cost you. So is it actually worth doing? Handy new features introduced include extended compatibility between the programs in the suite. For example Illustrator drawings can be placed with all their layers still functional into Flash.
It is also rumoured to now run much quicker on intel based macs. It is certainly recommended as an upgrade for photoshop guru's and cutting edge designers. But if you don't know your 3d textured brush pattern from your layer mask then your probably not going to spend the £600 minimum cost for an upgrade to the ' Design Premium', and a whopping £2,313.58 for the 'Master Collection'.

Date published : 10/04/2007