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Heidelberg and Trade Shows
Andy gives his take on why he thinks Heidelberg has made the decision to withdrawl from Ipex 2014
Risk and “Uncertainty” are Not the Same ()
Don't be uncertain about the risks of reading Dr. Joe's column about risk and uncertainty. It's not often he gets to use the word “actuarial” in a column about printing. Everyone thinks they know what ROI means, but just one little letter makes a big difference.
Drupa 2012, the Inkjet Drupa…again? A closer look at Komori
With this fifteenth article of the series, David begins to look at companies and their ‘future’ production inkjet offerings and applications. In this article he looks at Komori, its products and apparently new role in the sheetfed inkjet space.
Innovation: Easy to Talk About, Hard to Do
Who do we respect most in business? The individuals or companies who talk the best game or the individuals or companies who execute?
Critical Insight for QR Code Success ()
Although awareness and adoption of QR Codes and other mobile response technologies is growing, there are a number of challenges associated with driving audience interaction and adoption. Best practices are coming to light as companies continue to utilize QR Codes more effectively, leaving little room for excuses when delivering a poor experience to the target audience. Conducting rigorous testing before launching a campaign will help create a great experience that generates results.
Dark Clouds and Silver Linings: The Latest Economic Data May Be Gloomy...But Data are Not Destiny
This week, we’re going to take a step back from our look at the nuts and bolts of wide-format printing technology and look at the industry and the economy from “20,000 feet”—and hopefully not have a William Shatner-esque experience.
Pouring Another Cup O’ Joe: Points for Sellers to Ponder as the M&A Climate Improves
A pent-up eagerness for deals makes it all the more important for those venturing back into the M&A marketplace as sellers to be clear about why they should sell—and why buyers should want to acquire them.
Interpreting Media Use Headlines ()
Dr. Joe's glad he didn't buy Facebook stock, and explains why the company's stock price matters little to media decision-makers. And then there's the magazine circulation thing. Why is everyone so surprised that it's down? Yet again he rails about inflation, but at least he has some fresh new inflation multipliers to annoy company controllers and CFOs
Become Extraordinary by Building a Loyal Customer Base! ()
Savvy businesses know that they can build a loyal customer base by providing extraordinary value-added customer service. This article references recent industry research to describe how print service providers can improve loyalty by becoming strategically important to their customers.
Navigating the RIP Tide: Print Workflow Software Comes in All Shapes, Sizes, and Capabilities
Richard provides some features and issues to keep a special eye out for when looking at RIP's for wide-format printing.
What Can We Expect in 2014 ()
Andy gives a followup on some of the responses he received to a recent article where he commented on HP’s decision not to exhibit at the IPEX trade show in 2014.
Are Your Sales People an Asset or Liability? ()
The role of the sales person has dramatically changed and companies are struggling with how they recruit, hire, compensate, train and manage these essential employees. In order to address this challenge a systematic approach should be designed and implemented. In this series of articles we will address this challenge.
Is the Time Right for Digital Postal Mail? ()
Digital postal mail system provider Zumbox recently announced that it had secured $10 million in Series C capital, bringing total capital raised to $28 million. What’s driving the interest on the part of investors? Senior Editor Cary Sherburne speaks with Zumbox to learn more.
Pitney Bowes and ORION Printing: Optimizing the Marketing Supply Chain for IPG ()
ORION Holdings and Pitney Bowes have launched a strategic partnership enabling ORION Holdings to create a new unit, ORION Printing. Through its partnership with Pitney Bowes, ORION Printing will focus on supplying print management solutions to IPG companies globally. This article discusses the actions that marketers can take to increase the efficiency of their processes for ordering, storing, and delivering marketing materials.
When we say ‘Become a Solutions Provider,’ this is what we mean ()
Selling print is a commodity business. In search of higher margins, the mantra is to become a Solutions Provider, aka Marketing Services Provider. Unfortunately the terminology seems to take on many meanings and the message gets diluted.
End Game: In Wide-Format Printing, Finishing is Where the Real Work Begins
Those new to wide-format printing—and even some veterans—often give short shrift to what happens to a print once it comes off press. In wide-format printing, however, the real added value is often in the finishing.
Hierarchy of Needs: Print Customers
Much like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for humans, printers need to elevate their offerings above quality, service, and price in order to stay competitive.
Fail To Plan, Plan To Fail: the Necessity of Strategizing Acquisitions
It may be possible to run a printing company without a formal plan, but buying or selling a printing company will be very difficult to bring off successfully without the help of a written roadmap. An acquisition plan is a vital navigation aid that guides the process and certifies the desirability of the deal.
Drupa 2012, the Inkjet Drupa…again? A closer look at Founder Electronics
In this fourteenth article of the series, David looks at Founder, its production inkjet offerings and applications.
Requiem for a Heavyweight: The On Demand Printing & Publishing Exposition & Conference
Charlie Corr of mimeo.com looks at some of the history surrounding the On Demand Show
Marketing Automation: Learning How to Pull the Trigger ()
Using advanced data management and cloud-based marketing tools, marketers can send trigger-based communications and create individual campaigns specifically designed to be sent to members of a defined target audience at precisely the right time. This article provides an overview of trigger-based marketing techniques and describes how small and medium-sized businesses are leveraging trigger-based marketing to improve their bottom lines.
European demographics and advertising trends – how they will affect print
With the Olympics starting in London, let’s turn our attention to Europe and specifically the future of print and paper in Europe.
Beyond the Pale: White Inks Offer Unique Wide-Format Challenges and Applications
Those of us used to traditional offset and digital printing rarely give the concept of white ink a second thought. After all, “white” is typically synonymous with the color of paper, so when we want something to be white, we design it with the absence of any color. (Tellingly, in Adobe InDesign, we select the color swatch labeled “Paper.”) There are situations, however, when—oxymoronic as it may seem—we need to specify the color white.
Heidelberg, A New Vision for the Future?
Last week the following significant announcement was made about the future of Heidelberg. Bernhard Schreier, CEO of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg), will not be extending his management contract when it expires midyear 2013 and will be leaving the company at the end of 2012.
Powerful Lessons in Personal Change ()
Steven Covey died recently. He helped people be more effective by helping them develop a set of Habits based on principles. Start with an end in mind and then create personal and interpersonal habits to help you get what you want effectively.
Printing in Brazil: Rodrigo Abreu Talks About AlphaGraphics ()
Senior Editor Cary Sherburne was recently the keynote speaker at ABIGRAF’s GEDIGI digital printing conference in São Paulo, Brazil, and spent time with Rodrigo Abreu, the holder of the International Master License for AlphaGraphics in Brazil. Read what Rodrigo has to say about printing in Brazil and some of the innovative actions he is taking to grow the business.
A Refresher Course: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People ()
Author and businessman Stephen R. Covey recently passed away at the age of 79. This article highlights the key points from Covey’s 1989 bestseller entitled The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and explains how these concepts remain relevant for today’s businesses.
Wide-Format Printing Presents Unique Sustainability Challenges, Opportunities
The past five years have seen an increased discussion of, and emphasis on, the idea of “sustainability.” Sustainability can refer to many things, but one of the oft-discussed components of it is environmental sustainability. That is, what is the impact of a product or process on the environment, and what are the ways of reducing that impact?
Relevance and Industry Capacity ()
Here Dr. Joe goes again, on another capacity rant. It's about two years since his last one, so we guess we should cut him some slack. This time he takes a slightly different look, or at least he says he did. You decide.
Canon’s Dennis Amorosano Talks about Cloud, Mobility and More ()
WhatTheyThink Senior Editor Cary Sherburne spoke with Dennis Amorosano, Sr. Director, Solutions Marketing & Business Support at Canon USA, to learn what Canon is doing in the Cloud/Mobility space in a wide-ranging discussion from the office and production into the Cloud.
High Speed Inkjet: Part of the Integrated Customer Experience at First Data ()
Ricoh Production Print Solutions LLC recently completed a large-scale implementation at First Data (Atlanta, GA). This article covers Barb Pellow’s interview with First Data executives as they discuss how the company is using print technology in a cross-media world.
Who’s Going to IPEX? ()
A major piece of news in recently has been the decision of HP not to exhibit at IPEX. Andy gives his opinion on why he thinks this decision was made.
Recovery Indicators Take an Interesting Wrong Turn ()
The recovery continues to limp along, and then the Commerce Department says that May printing shipments were just incredibly good. Sure, they tease us a few weeks ago by yanking $600 million in shipments from the first quarter in their annual revision, and now it looks like someone may have snuck them back into May when they thought no one was looking. Dr. Joe explains it all, including a great way to get back to sleep when insomnia hits.
Outlook for Digital Printing for Packaging
Digital Printing for Packaging is growing quickly; by 2016 it will be worth nearly $12.2 billion, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.6% during 2011–16. This equates to 37 billion A4 prints in 2011 and 75.9 billion in 2016. The growth is driven by the changing demands of packaging buyers – more varieties and pack sizes is fragmenting the market, leading to shorter runs that digital technology can produce economically
Clean and Simple: FlexoConcepts Offers Uncomplicated Solution for Better Washups
With its microprocessors, relays, sensors, and software, a modern printing press is a marvel at squeezing time and cost out of production runs. But, one maker of press cleaning accessories contends that these complex systems can still get a big helping hand in a key press function from a simple but strategically placed strip of durable plastic.
Drupa 2012, the Inkjet Drupa…again? A closer look at IMPIKA
In this thirteenth article of the series, David looks at IMPIKA, its production inkjet offerings and applications.
A Tour of Canon’s Suzhou facility
WhatTheyThink recently joined other editors and analysts on a media tour of Canon’s production facility in Suzhou, China. The visit was part of a second leg of a trip that included a visit to the company’s Tokyo headquarters. The plant tour in Suzhou was an opportunity to see the Canon production system up close.
New President of Sharp Imaging and Information shares vision of future for Sharp ()
Doug Albregts has been President of Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA) since November 2012. He talks with Senior Editor Cary Sherburne about why he chose Sharp and the company’s prospects.
CEO Fujio Mitarai and Canon Host US Media Tour
WhatTheyThink recently joined other editors and analysts on a media tour to Canon’s headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. There, we were given a unique opportunity to hear from Canon Chairman & CEO Fujio Mitarai on his “5 Year Plan” strategy that focuses on reforming production and a profitable position in the markets they serve.
Symcor: Being Strategic in Re-tooling Workflow ()
Erika Andersen’s book entitled Being Strategic: Plan for Success, Out-think Your Competitors, Stay Ahead of Change explains how to approach business in a strategic manner. This article highlights tips from the book and provides a real-world example of how Symcor is re-tooling its business to become more strategic.
HP and IPEX 2014: The Full Story ()
HP surprised the printing industry when the news came out last week that the company had decided not to exhibit at Ipex 2014, which is moving from its long-time location in Birmingham to new digs in London. Senior Editor Cary Sherburne spoke with HP’s Sumeer Chandra to get a better understanding of what was behind this decision, and also includes an official statement from IPEX.
Look Before You Leap ()
Developing a business plan focused on the needs of your market is more critical now than ever to help you stay in business. Rapid advances in technology give you more options on how to grow and take your business forward. Equipment and service decisions need to be driven by your market needs – not your competition.
Think Patented Buys Big at drupa ()
We’ve heard the vendor reports about drupa successes and seen the press releases rolling out. But there is nothing better than speaking directly to buyers. Think Patented bought big at drupa and Senior Editor Cary Sherburne spoke with Chairman and Managing Partner Niels Winther and CEO and Managing Partner, Ken McNerney to find out more.
Xerox CMO Christa Carone Discusses How to Engage Marketing Executives ()
Barb Pellow recently had the opportunity to interview Christa Carone, Chief Marketing Officer at Xerox. This article offers highlights from the interview, including key challenges that service providers face and how to address these challenges head-on.
Packaging at drupa 2012: Some Out-of-the-Box ideas! ()
While drupa isn’t technically a packaging show, there were many packaging solutions on display and a great deal of interest in the segment on the part of visitors. Senior Editor Cary Sherburne reviews a few of the new development she came across as she traversed the many halls in Messe Dusseldorf during her 12 days of drupa …
Embrace Software (Just Like You Did with Manufacturing)
Software is the tool to remain relevant and integrated with the new communication methods. The print industry’s future will depend on embracing software like we did manufacturing – creating new reasons to print and optimizing and integrating existing applications.
Toshiba's No-Print Day is Awkward and Scandalous, But Don’t Let It Divert You from Bigger Trends
The industry's hackles have been raised by Toshiba's No-Print Day, and it's ironic that the company picks a date with some historical importance for print to hold the event. Toshiba's thinking needs to be confronted, but engagement with their audiences is a more important action for our associations and our businesses.
Postal Vision 2020 v2.0; USPS Strategy Opportunity as a “Platform”
The second Postal Vision conference drew 150 attendees to Washington DC’s L’Enfant Plaza Hotel. This was two Metro stops from the real decision makers, i.e., Congress and the United States Postal Service. No one from Congress could squeeze it in but USPS’ new Digital Solutions President and Strategic Planning Manager were in attendance as well as representatives of the two primary Postal Unions for the two-day duration.
Toshiba – Greenwashing Company of the Year
We often get some rather stupid approaches by companies trying to put out marketing messages to enhance their position in the eyes of potential consumers. Sometimes these approaches show just how stupid marketing people can be and in fact show just how little they know of the real situation in the market.
NBS: Celebrating 40 Years of Adding Value for Customers ()
Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, NBS started out as a data entry service provider. This article explores how the company transformed itself into a digital printing and mailing services expert by positioning for future growth.
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