Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

Seven Steps to Creating an AR Holotwin

Is it possible to create effective AR scenes without a team of tech-savvy designers? Or spending tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars? Is AR finally ready to be used even by small and mid-sized shops to solve business problems for their customers? Here is a step-by-step look at what it took to create an AR holotwin and a QR code showing the final result. Readers can judge for themselves.

Are You Selling with the Wrong Data? Part 2: External Data

You should be using data to guide your sales planning, and you should be revisiting the data you collect on a regular cadence because things change. In part one of this feature, Pat McGrew looked at how to gather and evaluate internal data. In part two, she looks at how external data can influence your sales plans.

Industry 4.0: Bringing Intelligence to Workflow One Step at a Time

Industrial revolutions have been driving global change for centuries, and one thing is certain: they will continue to happen at an increasingly rapid rate. As an industry, we have a way to go, but to succeed you need to look at the transformation process as a journey and not expect to do it all at once.

AMPLIFY Print Minneapolis was Everything A New Event Should Be

Trish Witkowski reports from last week’s AMPLIFY—a first-of-its-kind event presented by Association for Print Technologies (APTech) and the Foil and Specialty Effects Association (FSEA). The event centered around the topic of value-added print finishing and embellishment, and boasted the latest and greatest in technology, equipment, materials, inspiration, and thought leadership.

Bobst: Implementing a Vision

Bobst recently held a press event to detail its developments in packaging connectivity, digitalization, automation, and sustainability. European section editor Ralf Schlözer reports from Mex, Switzerland.

Conquering the New Frontier in Production Inkjet

The new frontier for production inkjet is high-quality, high-coverage, graphic arts applications. The challenge in this market is to precisely place high amounts of liquid ink onto porous, and non-porous, materials and dry them at high speed without damage. The very small number of presses serving this market is a testament to the difficulty of meeting this challenge. Today, we have a new entrant with a unique approach to delivering quality while driving up the economic equivalent order quantity between inkjet and offset.

Post-Pandemic: What’s the Future of Subscription Services and Fashion Boxes in Apparel?

Subscription services and fashion boxes for apparel—the ability for consumers to sign up for periodic boxes of personalized clothing selections—predated the pandemic, but arguably, these services prospered along with the rest of ecommerce as a result of retail closures, work-from-home, and a general concern with going out in public. Will that success carry forward as we enter the endemic stage of COVID? And how do these services rank from a sustainability perspective?

APTech and WhatTheyThink Joint Venture— In Support of the Graphic Communication/Printing Industry

Op-Ed by Harvey R. Levenson, Ph.D.. The joint venture between the Association for PRINT Technologies (APTech) and WhatTheyThink, in my opinion, is a “stroke of genius” and an example of how an association and a media organization can combine intellectual resources for the greater good of the graphic communication/printing industry.

Around the Web: Paper Passion. Skin Sensor. Browser Bier. Future Furniture. Global Glee. Tub Trouble. Finger Fromage.

Welsh artist Polly Verity folds paper into “into elegantly suggestive sculptures.” A graphene-based e-tattoo measures blood pressure. Just-discontinued Internet Explorer gets a gravestone. Ikea has a new AR app to delete your furniture and replace it with Ikea’s. How to laugh online in 26 languages. The short-changed designer who created Nike’s Swoosh. Hacking into a “smart Jacuzzis.” A British photographer captured a transit of the ISS across the Sun. Velveeta launches cheese-scented nail polish, for some reason. A guitar made out of French fries. Kate Bush’s welcome return to the charts. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Support Activities for Printing Annual Payroll—2010–2019

According to County Business Patterns, in 2010, US establishments in NAICS 32312 had an annual payroll of $1.4 billion. Payrolls declined steadily over the course of the 2010s, closing out the decade at $1.0 billion in 2019. However adjusting for inflation, payrolls declined by -38% over the course of the decade. In macro news: AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) indicates that demand for design services remains strong, boding well for commercial real estate construction and thus signage projects.

Environmental Sustainability: Your Customers Want It and the Planet Needs It!

Summer has officially arrived, so everyone is gearing up for nicer weather and more daylight to enjoy the great outdoors. Of course, caring for our planet now will help ensure that the outdoors can be enjoyed for generations to come. People are becoming increasingly conscious about the detrimental impact that certain processes can have on our environment, so it’s more important than ever for brands to position themselves as sustainable and environmentally sound.

How to Ensure Your Design Files Are Correctly Prepared for Digital Textile Printing

Quite often errors only become visible once a textile design is printed on fabric. The printing machine is blamed most of the time for these errors, especially when the resolution is so high that every file error becomes visible when printed. In this article, provided compliments of textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan, Jos Notermans of SPG Prints explains how to avoid these costly errors, beginning with proper design.

Packaging Challenges: How Is the Industry Responding?

RR Donnelly commissioned an online survey of 300 procurement, brand marketing, and packaging engineering decision makers to provide insights that inform strategy, priorities, and investments. Survey participants are located in the U.S. across a variety of industry sectors. The results are summarized in this article.

AR Increases Engagement with Salt Lake Community College Recycling Program

Think augmented reality is just for brand-building and entertainment? Think again. It is now being used to drive real, practical results for businesses, educational institutions, and nonprofits. Here is a look at how AR jump-started engagement with one college’s recycling program.

Don’t Get Stuck on One Missing Feature

Evaluating and buying software can be overwhelming, especially if the software segment is mature and therefore has hundreds of features to it. It is hard to keep track of which solution has which features, let alone evaluating if they will work in your environment.

HP Indigo VIP Event 2022: Better Together

HP Indigo held its first VIP event in three years in Israel May 24 and 15. European section editor Ralf Schlözer reports from the event, and highlights several technology introductions—as well as a few “on the horizon.”

Cutting Through the Confusion: Is There an Easy Button for Digital Embellishment Design?

Digital embellishment technologies are on the rise, and are making high-end luxurious prints easier and cheaper to do than ever before. Yet the biggest challenge most PSPs encounter is still linked to file design. Guest contributor Kevin Abergel explains how it is still the “wild west” when it comes to embellishment technologies and formats—and it’s not clear who should be leading the charge in educating designers.

Johnson’s World: Grow Your Own—Get Creative to Find New Talent

Colleges, universities, vocational schools and high schools are discontinuing graphic arts programs—even though students pursuing careers in print are much more likely to land successful positions upon graduation than students who’ve majored in web design, gaming, or computer science. Steve Johnson explains how to cultivate the next generation of printing employees.

A Sustainability Update for Textiles and Apparel

Sourcing Journal recently conducted an in-person sustainability summit in New York titled “The Road to 2030.” Sourcing Journal Founder and president Edward Hertzman spoke with Senior Editor Cary Sherburne to explain why this summit was different from other sustainability events and why he is optimistic that substantial changes will occur in the industry by the time 2030 rolls around.

April Shipments: Returning to Regular Seasonality

April 2022 shipments came in at $6.67 billion, down from March’s $7.03 billion. The general trend in all but two of the last seven years has been for April shipments to decline from March’s. That’s not really good news but suggests we’re at least getting back to normal.

Around the Web: Tome Tok. Joyce Joy. Paper ’Puter. Lionfish Leather. Robust Rugs. Solar Satellites. Wonder Worms. Gas Goof. Seat Suffering. Canine Comfort.

BookTok has caused a “print book revolution.” Modern online brands reinterpreted as their old-school forebears. Yesterday was Bloomsday—and the 100th anniversary of the publication of “Ulysses.” A prototype of a laptop that uses an e-paper-based display. Florida’s invasive lionfish is an excellent source of “fish leather.” Graphene makes wigs more durable. Adding robotic insect legs to household objects. One step closer to space-based solar energy-collecting satellites. Polystyrene-eating beetle larvae could hold the clues to dealing with plastic waste. Fired gas station manager accidentally charges 69¢ a gallon for gas; may become local folk hero. A new airplane seat design looks horrifying. A dog bed for humans. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

A Vibrant FESPA Global Print Expo 2022 Affirms Business Bounce-Back as a Confident and Investment-Ready Audience Focused on a Profitable and Sustainable Future

As the industry and the world returns to in-person events, the recent FESPA exhibition in Berlin is a good example of the pent-up energy after a long virtual experience induced by the pandemic. FESPA Global Print Expo 2022 brought the specialty print community together for four motivational days in Berlin (May 31 to June 3, 2022), in an atmosphere of overwhelming positivity that affirmed the industry’s readiness to bounce back from the challenges of the last two years.

Sustainability and Wide-Format: It’s Not Just Materials

For many years, the sustainability discussion in wide-format printing has centered on ink technologies but, like elsewhere in the printing industry, other, more pressing issues have come to the fore, typically centered around overall product use and end of life concerns. Richard Romano takes a closer look.

What Do Shoppers Really Think about Personalization?

What is the state of retail personalization in 2022? A study conducted by Coresight Research on behalf of Sailthru shows significant disconnects between what retailers think is important and what consumers think is important. The survey, “Retail Personalization in 2022,” looks at the difference in perceptions between consumers and retailers on a variety of issues related to retail personalization and data privacy, as well as areas such as loyalty programs and channel usage.

Future Fibers: Innovative Fibers Are Set to Improve Textile Sustainability

It is estimated that some 60% of apparel is made of petroleum-based polyester or polyester blends, but there are several initiatives underway to develop more sustainable fibers that are made from natural materials. Cary Sherburne looks at four of these new, cutting-edge fibers being developed for apparel.

Dreaming vs. Operational Possibility

Total automation is a common dream in the print industry (a custom manufacturing industry where the customer provides a key part of the manufacturing process at the time of purchase!). There are dreams and there is the reality of what is operationally possible with your business (a collection of constraints).

Are You Selling with the Wrong Data?

You should be using data to guide your sales planning, and you should be revisiting the data you collect on a regular cadence because things change. But there is a lot of potential data—some of it is useful in helping to set sales plans, and some of it could be considered noise. Pat McGrew helps you determine which is which.

Inkjet Integration: Flexible and Sustainable

Production inkjet is not new, but increasingly we are seeing it used in bespoke solutions that address many disparate manufacturing requirements. Importantly, this technology can also provide sustainable solutions.

FESPA Global Print Expo 2022 Felt Like a True Post-Pandemic Trade Show

The FESPA Global Print Expo 2022 was held May 31 to June 3 in Berlin, Germany. European section editor Ralf Schlözer was there, and highlights some of the major announcements and offers his initial impressions of the event.

Technology Outlook 2022—Digital & Inkjet: Overcoming Challenges Through Efficiency

In this year’s third annual Technology Outlook, Inkjet Insight’s Elizabeth Gooding looks at the latest digital printing and production inkjet technology trends and new product introductions.

Digital Technologies: Driving Change in the U.S. Textiles & Apparel Market

As so often happens, entrepreneurs in the textiles and apparel industry are driving change in the U.S. market. While digitally-driven businesses have not yet reached critical mass, there are good examples of companies that are taking advantage of new ways of working and doing business to build the businesses of the future. We’ll be discussing this in an upcoming WhatTheyThink webinar scheduled for July 20 at 1 pm ET!

The Top 100 Small Commercial Printers

For the second straight year, Strategic Factory is the WhatTheyThink | Printing News Top Small Commercial Printer. Read on for the complete Top 100, as well as a profile of the winning companies.

Book Printing Annual Payroll—2010–2019

According to County Business Patterns, in 2010, US establishments in NAICS 323117 had an annual payroll of $1.1 billion. Payrolls declined over the first half of the 2010s, at least on a current dollar basis, but started to rise again, closing out the decade at $993 million in 2019. However adjusting for inflation, payrolls declined by -25% over the course of the decade. In macro news: what’s going on with the real estate market?

Around the Web: Eschewed Entries. Password Parting. Loony Logos. Get Graphene Gear! Dog Detection. Big Birds. Canny Cane. Taking Tokens. Steak Saga.

What are the least-read articles in Wikipedia? With any luck passkeys will replace passwords. When AI tries to recreate famous brand logos. WearGraphene’s graphene-enhanced jacket is now available. COVID-sniffing dogs may be more accurate than PCR tests. Proto-chickens and giant demon ducks. “DRM wheelchairs.” A high-tech cane for the elderly. Bored Ape Yacht Club avatars are getting stolen with monotonous regularity. The fascinating history of Salisbury steak. A giant giraffe sculpted out of chocolate. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Pane Points: A Window Graphics Photo Gallery

In this photo gallery, we highlight some recent window graphics projects that display graphics providers have produced. These application galleries are intended to serve as “food for thought” in developing creative applications for clients.

Judging the Future of Design

Leading up to the UK’s Design Futures 2022 competition, textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan spoke to one of the judges, designer Phoebe English. A dynamic thinker with a careful, considered approach, Phoebe is on an ever-evolving search to better her practices, making her the perfect judge for this year’s innovation challenge which is focused on design for circularity. Learn more about her advice to designer applicants.

Influencing Consumer Behavior with Color

There are many ways for brands to establish an emotional connection with their customers, and doing so can foster loyalty while also delivering a better overall experience. Marketers understand that specific colors have different effects on the human mind, and therefore trigger different responses. This article explores how certain colors can trigger an emotional response and create a deeper connection between consumers and brands.

Technology Outlook 2022—Impressive Solutions for Finishing

In this year’s third annual Technology Outlook, Trish Witkowski looks at the latest binding and finishing technology trends and new product introductions.

Technology Outlook 2022—The Art and Science of Data in a Workflow

In this year’s third annual Technology Outlook, Pat McGrew and Ryan McAbee look at how to effectively collect and use data to improve production workflows.

Technology Outlook 2022—The Labels & Packaging Market: Even Stronger

In this year’s third annual Technology Outlook, David Zwang looks at new trends, technologies, and products in labels and packaging.

Technology Outlook 2022—Wide Format & Signage and Textiles & Apparel Trends and Technologies

In this year’s third annual Technology Outlook, Richard Romano and Cary Sherburne look at new trends, technologies, and products in wide format and signage and textiles and apparel.

Is It Possible to Have Carbon-Neutral Direct Mail?

In this follow-up to last week’s article, Steve Falk, president of Prime Data, discusses how his company determined its carbon footprint, how it came to be the first carbon-neutral direct mail house in the world, and invites members of the industry to use its tools to come up with their own carbon footprints to do the same.

Opening to the Realities of a Remote Workforce

Allowing a remote workforce can improve your talent pool as well as force you into fixing your manual process habits.

The Target Report: Paper Industry in Transition—May 2022 M&A Activity

Kruger Buys Domtar Mill, Paper Industry in Flux; and more…

How to Make a Non-Standard Ink Set Conform to Standard: The Difference Between 2D Curves and 3D Profiles

It is critical to compensate for the differences in your particular papers and inks compared to the color standard you’re trying to match. Print Geek Dan Gillespie of Alder Color Solutions outlines how effectively using color science/software is the most accurate and efficient way to reach the tightest conformance achievable.

Your Package Has Been Delivered—And More Are Coming

Just as in web-to-print software solutions for commercial printers, online package creation is facilitating the rapid growth of shorter-run packaging to address the shifting market demands. These new online transaction design and procurement web-to-pack solutions, in combination with digital presses and laser die cutters, are also enabling many commercial printers to find a lift into becoming a packaging converter. David Zwang takes a look at the current web-to-pack landscape.

Print Matters for the Future 2022—Feeling the Pulse of the European Printing Industry

European section editor Ralf Schlözer reports from Print Matters for the Future, the annual conference of Intergraf, the European association representing the national printing associations in Europe. The event was held live in Stockholm on May 20, 2022 and tackled a diverse range of topics including the paper shortage, Amazon’s impact on the industry, sustainability, and more.

Fashion and NFTs

In this space, we have written a great deal about how the digital transformation is proceeding in the world of textiles and apparel. Mostly we have looked at supply chain, including the digital technologies that make reshoring more viable and production of textiles and apparel more sustainable. In this article, we take a look at how the fashion industry is jumping on the NFT bandwagon, generating an amazing amount of revenue, and, they hope, more customer loyalty.

April Graphic Arts Employment—Print Production Up from March, Non-Production Down Slightly

In March 2022, all printing employment was up +0.6% from March. This time, it was production employment that was up (+1.6%) and non-production employment that was down (-0.9%).

Around the Web: Wallpaper Warming. Painting Pastried. Grim Game. Daily Disruption. Mechanical Maids. Robot Roommate. Hamster Horror. Font Feeling. Bee Befuddlement.

Graphene-based, self-heating wallpaper. The Mona Lisa is attacked with cake, for some reason. A hyper-realistic first-person writer video game in which you try selling short stories to magazines. Morningstar’s latest update on “supply chain disruptions.” Is there any point to recycling plastic? Dyson is closer than ever to robot housekeepers. NY State program distributes robots to the elderly to combat social isolation. A hamster genetic engineering project goes awry. Monotype studies how typefaces affect emotions. 3D printing a human ear from the patient’s own cells. Bees are now fish, at least in California. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Good Help Is Getting Harder to Find—and Keep, Part 2: ISA Wages & Benefits Report for the Sign Industry

Last month, the International Sign Association (ISA) hosted a webinar that summarized the results of their 2021 Wage & Benefits Report for the Sign, Graphics and Visual Communications Industry. We take a look at some of the top-line results.

Learn How the Company Digital Space Created a New Wallcovering Business With Digital Printing Technology

Last week we wrote about British home decor firm Gillian Arnold leveraging digital printing to bring production of wall coverings in house. This week, we share another wall covering success story that started with digital production of 200 square meters of wall covering by Digital Space for Marriott Hotels.

Reusable Packaging: A Growing Trend

There is a lot of talk about recycling, but less talk about reusing, across a variety of product types from soda to sweat pants. Reuse has a key role to play in a circular economy, and packaging is one of the key offenders in terms of waste. The good news, though, is there is increasing interest on the part of brands, retailers, and consumers in reusable packaging, whether it is an insulated water bottle or a crate like the milkman used to leave on our doorsteps for refilling. (I’m old enough to remember that!)

Calculating the Carbon Footprint of Canada’s Direct Mail

Is it possible to know the carbon footprint of direct mail? Canada-based Prime Data decided to find out. It invested in research to determine the footprint of direct mail in its home country as a foundation to understanding the company’s own role in the larger ecosystem and what to do about it.

Transforming the Learning Environment with Signs

Signarama’s Chuck Gerardi highlights the opportunities educators have to enhance their students’ experience.

How Not to Sell Software at Trade Shows

Expos and exhibitions are interesting opportunities to sell, but the event alone is not enough to generate leads or close sales. Selling at trade shows takes a strategy and preparation. In part two of a two-part series, contributor Pat McGrew offers some do’s and don’ts for selling print software at trade shows.

Texprocess America Showed an Industry Collaborating, Unifying, and Growing

ColorKarma’s Shoshana Burgett reports from Texprocess Americas, the theme of which was “Sell Then Make,” and identifies the five trends shifting the apparel industry,

Around the Web: Robot Retailers. Clothing Commerce. Cutting-Edge Car. Crossword Computer. Bye-Bye, Booths. Equine Email. Crater Critters. Asteroid Antics. Sacred Seltzer. Fiction Flames.

Yelp and Chasing Paper introduce wallpaper supporting small local businesses. Robotic “stores on wheels” can chase you around public spaces. Amazon opens a physical clothing store. A graphene-enhanced supercar. AI wins the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. NYC’s last phone booth is removed. Have an Icelandic horse respond to your email. A volcano…full of sharks. A “potentially hazardous” asteroid passes by Earth tonight. Hard seltzer made with real holy water. Go out in style (if that’s the word to use) in the Kiss Kasket. Margaret Atwood takes a flamethrower to an unburnable copy of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Commercial Screen Printing Annual Payroll—2010–2019

According to County Business Patterns, in 2010, US establishments in NAICS 323113 had an annual payroll of $1.8 billion. Payrolls were generally unaffected by the Great Recession and rose over the course of the 2010s, at least on a current dollar basis, finishing out the decade at $2.3 billion in 2019. However adjusting for inflation, payrolls declined by -10% over the course of the decade. In macro news: Q1 GDP revised down.

Buffalo Canvas Produces Outdoor Display to Raise Awareness of PTSD

An installation at Buffalo, N.Y.’s Central Library features a series of photographs taken by Armed Services veterans. With a special focus on spreading awareness of the struggles veterans face with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), The Odyssey Project includes photographs from 42 veterans, printed and installed by Buffalo Canvas, a display graphics and signage provider.

Electrophotography: Its Place in the Industry and Role in the Future

The quality of inkjet printing has improved over the years, so more and more print volumes have shifted away from electrophotographic printing and toward inkjet for productivity and cost reasons. This article offers some considerations about the future of the EP market as the drive toward inkjet continues.

British Designer Brand Gillian Arnold Continues to Expand to Bring Wallpaper Production In-House

This British design house adopted digital heat transfer dye sublimation printing for on-demand manufacturing of home decor. Now they have turned their attention to wallpaper, bringing production in house with latex printing. The success they have achieved makes them a role model for a production process for sustainable home decor that gives creatives more flexibility than ever before.

What Is a “Most Trusted” Brand Anyway?

Infegy’s Trust Index gives a look into the companies with the highest trust levels based on its analysis of social media conversations. This leads to the question: How, exactly, do we measure trust? Is quantifying it even possible?

Merging Expertise to Improve Outcomes and Culture

The way you’ve always done it vs. the innovations currently available in the marketplace, mostly in the form of software, can create a lot of tension in your business. Mutual respect for both perspectives is the key to better outcomes.

New Day, New Challenges: Three Factors Driving Growth in Wide Format and Signage

When the pandemic hit in 2020, to keep business flowing, many printers seized the opportunity to step into the wide-format space, producing pandemic-related signage, floor graphics, and face shields. Fast-forward to 2022 and these wide-format heroes find themselves facing a new set of issues—all threatening its continued growth. Contributor Joanne Gore looks at these new challenges.

Canon: Preparing for a Packaging Push

The challenges faced as a press manufacturer or even a print service provider when moving from commercial print to industrial and packaging market are very real and can be elusive and daunting. Most of all, though, it’s not just about technology.

Heidelberg Launches Prinect Direct

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen is not only a leading offset press manufacturer, but Heidelberg is also a leading provider of workflow solutions as well. In mid-May, the company launched Prinect Direct, a complete revamp of its Prinect print shop workflow, which will now be available in the cloud. European section editor Ralf Schlözer takes a close look at this new release.

Workflow Is the Selling Point at the QMC Group

In the highly competitive commercial print market, the QMC Group continues to thrive. In this article, sponsored by Kodak, learn that one of their secrets to success is that, as they expand organically, they also acquire complementary companies. Those acquisitions bring new capabilities, talent, and the requirement to integrate everyone into a single culture as quickly as possible. And that secret sauce is their workflow.

The FABRIC Act Would Support Better Working Conditions, More Reshoring, in Garment Industry

Several U.S. Senators are sponsoring the FABRIC Act to drive protections for garment workers in the U.S. and encourage more reshoring of the industry. This article explains why it is important, how it can benefit the industry and the environment, and encourages outreach to your own Senator to express your support. The legislation has already received the support of various stakeholders in the fashion industry, including designers, manufacturers, and industry bodies.

March Shipments: It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again

March 2022 shipments came in at $6.91 billion, up from February’s $6.14 billion. So far, it looks like 2022 is closely mirroring 2021—which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Around the Web: Martian Mirage. Product Placement. Solving Superhydrophobicity. Robot Ramble. Bonding Burritos. Erased Entries. Painter Play. Cliffside Convenience. Machine Mirth.

Did the Curiosity rover photograph a doorway on Mars? Product placement is set to go to the next level. Self-shading windows. Researchers accidentally discover graphene-based water-repellent coatings. A delivery robot goes for a leisurely stroll in the woods. Edible tape for securing burritos and other wraps. Deleted Wikipedia articles live on in the Deletionpedia. Artle, a fine art-based version of Wordle. The world’s most inconvenient convenience store. “Strollers as a service.” Google’s AI can now get jokes. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Imageco Partners with HP Technology to Deliver Sustainable Printed Production for Retail Graphics and POS

At UK-based Imageco, sustainability is a key focus. When the current owner took over, he brought with him his passion for a more sustainable future and took steps to improve the company’s sustainability profile. Today, Imageco provides their customers with affordable, versatile products that are manufactured using a responsible production process, sustainable materials, and best practices wherever possible. Read the full story.

Achieving More with Priming and Coating

If priming and coating are each important to the success of inkjet in commercial printing, both are crucial for inkjet printing in the label and packaging segments. In this article, sponsored by Michelman, Inc., and based on a just-released white paper, European section editor Ralf Schlözer explains how folding carton and corrugated packaging markets are expanding for inkjet in large part due to the application of these fluids.

Annual Sign Franchise Review 2022

Like the print franchise networks, the sign franchises struggled, like many businesses, in 2020. They have bounced back almost to 2019 levels and are seeing good growth going into 2022. Managing editor Richard Romano provides our annual sign franchise review.

Seven Options for Filling Your Employee Pipeline

The Printing Industries Alliance has released a new report, “Recruitment, Retention, and Pathways to Employment in the Printing Industry” (April 2022), that looks at the realities of the hiring gap in the printing industry and practical solutions for addressing it. Here are seven takeaways from that report.

Align Your Goals: Pre-Call Prep Leads to Better Prospect Meetings

Most salespeople agree that advance prep for important prospect meetings is a precursor for successful call outcomes. Sellers can gain at least a 20% bump in productivity through consistent pre-call work. Contributor Lisa Magnuson offers some tips for effective pre-call prep.

Making a Commitment to Software Implementation

Commitments are hard. The sales process for print software is like dating. Everyone is full of positive hormones about potential. Then salespeople step away and the implementation begins. It gets hard. It doesn’t go back to the honeymoon phase—ever.

Online Print Symposium—Restarting Online Print

European section editor Ralf Schlözer reports from the Online Print Symposium, the largest dedicated conference on online printing that took place at the end of April 2022 in Munich. The event detailed the status of online print as it emerged from the pandemic year, and the trends taking the industry into 2022 and beyond.

Is Landa Finally Hitting Its Stride?

There has been a running joke amongst some analysts and media that it takes at least two drupas—or about 8–10 years—before an initially shown product is ready for production. Granted, some of what is “envisioned” as new product technologies may never make it, but many products do successfully make it to market, ready for reliable production.

Needed: Quick Turn Labels—A Trio of OEMs Share What to Expect in Label Printing Trends

Demand for fast-turn and short-run labels went up during and after the pandemic, but employment and consumables problems tempered what could have been a boon for label printers and label equipment vendors. Contributor Mark Vruno looks at where we stand today.

Are We Paying Too Much Attention to Transitory Trends?

There is so much hype around fashion trends—the more different trends that can be hyped, the more fashion that gets sold, I suppose. But it’s not only bad for our individual pocketbooks, it’s devastating for the environment! In this article, we cite two other must-read articles that point out why we should not be following every transitory TikTok trend that comes our way.

How Not to Sell Hardware at Trade Shows

Expos and exhibitions are interesting opportunities to sell, but the event alone is not enough to generate leads or close sales. Selling at trade shows takes a strategy and preparation. In part one of a two-part series, contributor Pat McGrew offers some do’s and don’ts for selling print hardware at trade shows.

Commercial Printing Annual Payroll—2010–2019

According to County Business Patterns, in 2010, US establishments in NAICS 323111 had an annual payroll of $15.9 billion. Payrolls dipped during and in the aftermath of the Great Recession and then rose, at least on a current dollar basis, over the latter half of the decade before dropping in 2019, finishing out the decade at $16.3 billion in 2019. However adjusting for inflation, payrolls declined by -12% over the course of the decade. In macro news: inflation is starting to slow ever so slightly.

Around the Web: Sand Solution. Plastic Problems. Conquering Corrosion. Stapler Substitute. Drone Deluge. Fromage Finder. Cremation Cannon. Pod Parting.

Print Against War shows how the global printing industry is standing with Ukraine. Turning discarded glass containers back into sand to help combat coastal erosion. Devastating report finds that plastic recycling simply is not working. Graphene-based anti-corrosion paint for automotive applications. A “staple-less stapler.” A revised 3D-printed cap for the iconic Kikkoman soy sauce bottle. Now you can be chased through a forest by a drone swarm without fearing they’ll crash. A new app is Shazam for cheese. Hurl your dearly departed into the afterlife with the Loved one Launcher. RIP Apple iPod. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Saul Nash Receives The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design

The British Fashion Council announced that Saul Nash is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. The Award was presented by the Duchess of Cambridge on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen in this Platinum Jubilee year. The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design was initiated in recognition of the role the fashion industry plays in society and diplomacy and to spotlight young designers who are talented and making a difference to society through either sustainable practices or community engagement.

FESPA Global Print Expo 2022 Comes to Berlin: A Conversation with Michael Ryan

The FESPA Global Print Expo 2022 will take place from May 31 to June 3, 2022, at the Messe Berlin in Germany. The event is Europe’s leading exhibition for screen, wide-format, and textile printing. WhatTheyThink spoke with Michael Ryan, Head of Global Development & FESPA GPE, FESPA, to preview the show and some prevailing trends and applications attendees can expect to see in Berlin.

You Can Market Like an Expert…Even if You’re an Amateur!

Nearly half of today’s small business owners handle their own marketing endeavors, and their frustration with this process is commonly voiced. This article highlights some simple steps you can take to improve your marketing strategy and offers tips on how to market like a pro, even if you’re only just getting started.

Study: Key Demographic Is Being Overlooked by Marketers

Older Americans, representing 100 million consumers and more than half of the nation’s wealth and annual spending, are being overlooked by marketers. Two reports from Alive Ventures, “Growing Older Better: Insights and Opportunities” and “State of the Market 2022,” challenge the stereotypes fueling this oversight and shine a spotlight on the opportunities that you can share with your customers.

Keeping the Pulse of Your Print Operation with Canon PRISMA Tools

Pat McGrew and Ryan McAbee take an in-depth look at Canon PRISMA Tools for data analysis and accounting, which monitor the operational pulse and direction of your a operation. These tools can help staff take quick and decisive actions to keep production running smoothly and make better print production decisions.

The Challenge of Expertise

Being good at one thing doesn’t make you an expert at everything. Expertise is limited because time is limited, and change is unlimited. Understand what you have expertise in and then respect the expertise of others as a way to optimize your business.

Press On & Rock On: RMGT’s “Commit to Print” World Tour Kicks Off

Celebrating sheetfed-offset printing, RMGT’s “Commit to Print” World Tour kicked off last week in St. Louis, Mo., at Advertisers Printing. Contributor Mark Vruno previews the rest of the tour, and documents Advertisers Printing’s investment in a 10-color RMGT 9 Series perfecting press.

ISA Sign Expo 2022: Welcome Back, My Friends…

After a three-year pandemic-induced hiatus, the ISA Sign Expo returned live in Atlanta last week—much to everyone’s delight. WhatTheyThink was at the event, which seemed less like a trade show and more like a family reunion.

Global Graphics Smart QI: New Platform for On-the-Fly Inspection

Press speeds, resolutions, and the use of variable data is growing, and with it the need to inspect the print for defects before it comes off the press and goes into finishing and converting is essential. Global Graphics Smart QI is a solution targeted at that increasing and demanding requirement.

Johnson’s World—The Cat and Mouse Game: A Marketing Lesson from Walter the Cat

The fur flies as Steve Johnson attempts to claw back a veterinary medicine rebate he was promised. Read on to see how customer loyalty programs can quickly become customer antagonism programs.

Are You Looking at the Full Scope of Sustainability?

Sustainability seems to be the latest buzzword to grab hold of the business community, and I hate to even call it that due to its importance to the future of our world. But when companies talk about sustainability, are they truly looking at the whole picture, or just a part? And can they even affect the whole picture? Organizations such as the Responsible Sourcing Network and others are dedicated to giving brands and retailers broader insight into just exactly how sustainable they are.

The Target Report: When Does Customer Concentration Become an Advantage?—April 2022 M&A Activity

Pokémon Captures Millennium, Nahan acquires Intellus Mail Division, and more…

March Graphic Arts Employment—Print Production Drops from February, Non-Production Up a Bit

In March 2022, all printing employment was up +0.2% from February. Non-production printing employment was up +2.7%, but production employment was down -0.9%.

Around the Web: Plastic Problems. Library Love. Perilous Packaging. Glasses Galore. Fowl Fashion. Dear Deere. Scarce Sand. Butcher Bots.

Using recovered plastic to 3D print on-demand retail items. The Brooklyn Public Library is offering free digital library cards. “Wrap rage” is real. Three approaches to eyeglasses-based displays. “Chicken eyeglasses.” Graphene helps turn discarded facemasks into concrete. Bricking stolen farm equipment. The world’s impending sand crisis. New technology is coming to a restaurant near you. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Annual Print Shop Franchise Review 2022

Print franchise networks struggled, like many businesses, in 2020. But most of them have bounced back almost to 2019 levels and are seeing good growth going into 2022. Senior editor Cary Sherburne provides our annual print franchise review.

A Reason to Show Up

If you really want to grow your business over the next decade you will be required to solve the problem of recruiting talent in a brutally competitive talent marketplace. The solution, you are likely to discover, lies not in marketing so much as it does in a form of branding. We must answer the question that is top of mind for potential employees: “Why should I choose your company to work for instead of Amazon, Google, or some e-commerce company?” (And remember, our problem is not that we are printers. People are looking for something we can provide as well as anybody. They are looking for purpose, relevance, and a place where they feel good about belonging to.)

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