The charity Missing People has launched a new initiative in the form of posters carrying a 3D image of the missing person and a QR code which shows them laughing and smiling when scanned, in the hope that the changes will make the public more likely to engage and take action.
The use of 3D images and smiling faces is intended to humanise the missing person and the aminated characteristics and gestures will make them more memorable to passers-by. The idea is that people might notify friends on social media and share relevant details like background maps of where the person was last seen.
The posters were launched on billboards across London on 25 May to mark ‘Missing Children’s Day’, and the new format will be used by the charity for all new posters after that.
Jo Youle, Chief Executive of Missing People, said its appeals were a hugely important way to reach the public, to help find children. ‘By embracing innovation, we hope the new appeals will have an even greater impact and lead to those featured being found safely.’
Hague Group, which offers a range of security print services including hologram and other optical device applications, has returned to the acquisition trail with a deal to buy Preston-based (UK) PSL Print Management – a provider of a range of services to clients in the UK and Europe, spanning print procurement, storage and distribution, and online ordering.
PSL was established in 1986 and serves clients including the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and other public sector bodies. It is a framework supplier on a number of publicly tendered contracts, including multiple Crown Commercial Services contracts.
In the pandemic-impacted financial year to 28 February 2021, PSL filed sales down 24% at £20.4 million and made an operating profit of £1.3 million. The prior year had been a record year for the business. It employs 55 staff.
Hague Group had sales of £28 million in 2020 and made an operating profit of £2.2 million. The firm said the deal will propel the group’s turnover to £50 million.
The terms of the takeover, which had been rumoured in print management circles for some time, were not disclosed. PSL was owned by its Managing Director Jim Gilliland, who will be 65 this year. He remains with the business, as do PSL’s management, sales, administration and warehouse teams.
Hague Group Managing Director Graham Wain said the Hague team had known the PSL directors for many years and had been impressed by the firm’s ‘growth through innovation and the provision of exceptional services’.
Hague Group focuses on ‘value- added’ print services, including secure documentation, and is currently preparing to move to a new 3,484 m2 head office and warehouse site near to its existing facility. The business now has 11 locations across the UK.
Hague previously went on an acquisition spree in 2018-2019 that saw it buy three businesses in the space of six months, and has a print and distribution operation in Australia.
Developer of authentication and security technology Advast Suisse has added holographic cold foils to its product portfolio designed for use in security applications.
The high-resolution security features, optical effects and sharpness are also retained during transfer, making the films suitable for processing security labels and security related materials, the company said.
As with hot stamping foils, Advast Suisse also offers a range of existing generic designs for holographic cold foils. For individual, customer-specific implementations, both conventional hologram mastering as well as highresolution Nanocrypt mastering are available.
Nanocrypt is claimed to be one of the most secure and technologically advanced nano- optical imaging systems. With resolutions up to 640,000 dpi, nano-structures and anti-counterfeiting security features can be achieved which cannot be reproduced by conventional mastering systems, making the OVD designs unique, the company said.
Cold foil application makes it possible to achieve holographic effects and security features for short runs. In comparison to the hot stamping process, initial costs for stamping dies and additional embossing are eliminated. Further, cold foil stamping is said to not cause any deformation of the substrate – embossed counterfeit- proof security features such as nanotext and microtext remain visible and can be authenticated.
