Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

Ultraflex’s Kylie Schleicher on Environmentally Friendly Substrates

Published May 25, 2022

Kylie Schleicher, Director of Product Development for Ultraflex Systems, talks about the company’s display graphics substrates that look and feel like PVC-based materials but are more environmentally sustainable.

Ricoh Ups Its Fabric Printing Game with Direct-to-Film Solution

Published April 27, 2022

Ricoh has been working to increase the flexibility and capability of its direct-to-garment digital printing portfolio, including the Ri1000 and Ri2000 printers as evidenced by its recent announcement of the ability to add direct-to-film printing to these two printers, which will be on display at FESPA. General Manager of Industrial Printing for Ricoh, Dr. Christian Compera, explains.

Core Publishing Solutions: A Dramatic Shift in Application Mix Enables Ongoing Business Growth

Published April 19, 2022

Senior editor Cary Sherburne profiles Core Publishing Solutions, which offers publishers the convenience of seamlessly switching titles between offset and digital runs. The company has installed two sheetfed inkjet presses and three wide-format web-fed inkjet presses, having nearly four billion pages on its digital presses.

Bill Farquharson Asks, "Why Aren't You Selling More?"

Published April 7, 2022

The Sales Vault's Bill Farquharson spoke at the recent NPSOA Owners Conference on the topic of "Why aren't you selling more?", how COVID affected his business, and how to reinvent yourself after a pandemic.

Mr. Print's Albert Patterson On His First Time Attending the Owners Conference

Published April 7, 2022

Albert Patterson, Owner of Mr. Print, talks to Kelley Holmes about his first time attending the NPSOA's Owners Conference. An Army veteran, Albert acquired his business in 2020, focusing on the equestrian vertical. He has found a network of like-minded owners in the NPSOA and it's been invaluable to his business.

Bill Schmidt on Self-Funded Employee Insurance Solutions for Small Businesses

Published April 7, 2022

Bill Schmidt, President of Small Business Insurance Solutions and a recent speaker at the NPSOA Owners Conference, sits down with Kelley Holmes to discuss self-funded insurance solutions for small business. Bill has been able to save small businesses a lot of money by introducing them to the opportunity to self-fund employee insurance programs.

Guerrillas in the Midst: A Look at the WhatTheyThink Staff

Published April 1, 2022

The past two years of seclusion have given scientists a unique opportunity to study the WhatTheyThink contributors in their natural environments. Enter these unique worlds…if you dare.

PBR Printing Owner Ken Hopkins on the Benefits of NPSOA Membership

Published March 31, 2022

Kelley Holmes talks with Ken Hopkins, Owner of PBR Printing, which specializes in anything ink-on-paper. He shares the reasons he enjoys membership in the National Print and Sign Owners Association (NPSOA), including networking, the listserv, and opportunity to build mutually supportive relationships with other print business owners.

Catching Up with Dayton Ohio FASTSIGNS Franchisee Larry Miller

Published March 23, 2022

Dayton, Ohio, FASTSIGNS franchisee Larry Miller talks about being a board member, the history of his business as a FASTSIGNS conversion, and being in the "120k Pickup Club." Larry also talks about some of the fun projects he's worked on in his business.

Bolger Printing’s Jonathan Beck on HP Indigo

Published March 23, 2022

Jonathan Beck, Digital Print Manager for Bolger Printing, a general commercial printer in Minneapolis, talks about his purchase of HP Indigo digital presses and the opportunities they have brought to his business.

Warren Werbitt Goes Printer to Printer with Jeff Jacobs

Published March 23, 2022

This week, “live” from Dscoop, Warren talks with Jeff Jacobs from ePac Flexible Packaging, the largest all-digital flexible packaging converter. Based in the US, with 22 plants globally, ePac Flexible Packaging specializes in helping small and mid-size businesses grow and compete with big brands.

MagnetStreet’s Brenda Baird at Her First Dscoop

Published March 22, 2022

Brenda Baird, CEO of MagnetStreet, talks about how the company—a web-to-print provider of high-end wedding stationery and B2B items—learned during the pandemic year where their weaknesses and bottlenecks were. They also worked closely with brides to help them reschedule their weddings and send out changed-date notifications.

Bill Pope Geeks Out About Continuous Improvement

Published March 22, 2022

Resident Print Geeks Jim and Shelby discuss the upcoming Continuous Improvement Conference with Printing United Alliance's Bill Pope. Pus Bill shares geeky moments taking his L*a*b* measurements to the paint store.

NPSOA Chairman Nathaniel Grant on the 2022 Owners Conference

Published March 21, 2022

Kelley Holmes talks to NPSOA Chairman Nathaniel Grant about last week's Owners Conference, put on by owners for owners, and the value the organization is bringing to print and sign owners including a listserv and many other member benefits.

How a Marketer Got Into the Sign Industry as a FASTSIGNS Franchisee

Published March 16, 2022

At the FASTSIGNS Annual Convention, Sarosh Nayar, a FASTSIGNS franchise owner from Dallas, Tex., talks about how he came to be a franchisee and why he chose signs—and FASTSIGNS in particular. Sarosh also discusses the types of customers his business serves and what excites him about being a franchisee.

Dscoop Inspired Blue Label to Expand into Labels and Shrink Sleeves

Published March 16, 2022

Andrew Boyd, President of Columbus Ohio’s Blue Label Packaging, talks about how, after attending his first Dscoop in 2012, he was motivated to investigate the HP Indigo and move from envelope converting into labels. The company is now a digital converter of labels and shrink sleeves, and Dscoop a must-attend event.

Introducing Grant Fitz, EFI’s CFO

Published February 14, 2022

Grant Fitz, CFO of EFI, talks about his history in the industry, his two years at EFI, his background in the automotive industry, and how he is an “engineer at heart.”

PDC Graphics’ Jim Rosenthal on His Business and EFI Connect

Published February 7, 2022

Jim Rosenthal, President of PDC Graphics, talks about how his business fared during and after the pandemic, and shares his thoughts on the recent EFI Connect conference.

EPS’s David Bentley on Midmarket Print Suite

Published February 2, 2022

David Bentley, GM, SMB Print, for eProductivity Software, talks about the Midmarket Print Suite, which was one of the EFI products spun off into the independent company eProductivity Software, and looks to what the future holds.

Heidelberg Lifecycle Management

Published February 1, 2022

David Zwang talks to Steven Skeen, VP Lifecycle Business Management at Heidelberg USA, about how the company has been increasing their customer support offerings to include consumables, training, business consulting, and more.

Marc Olin on the Advantages of EFI Connect

Published January 24, 2022

Marc Olin, Executive Chairman of eProductivity Software, talks about the advantages of EFI Connect for the company and its customers, as well as the recent spin-off of eProductivity Software as a separate company.

BrandVizion Makes Customers Visible

Published November 1, 2021

BrandVizion’s Kiley Gonzalez talks about the company, which produces all kind of signs and graphics, from vehicle wraps, to pop up displays, event branding, banners—they specialize in anything customized or outside the ordinary.

Looking at Present and Future Technologies

Published October 19, 2021

At last week’s thINK Forum, David Zwang spoke with Greg Groleau, VP Operations for Venture Solutions, a critical communications subsidiary of Taylor Corporation. Events like the thINK Forum allow Venture Solutions to connect with its vendor partners to evaluate present and future technologies and how they might align with their business.

The Power of HP Indigo One-Shot Technology

Published September 15, 2021

In this video sponsored by HP Indigo, Itamar Malka, R&D Product Development Lab Manager at HP Indigo, demonstrates how HP’s One-Shot Printing Technology works and explains why it’s ideal for working with heat-sensitive substrates.

July Graphic Arts Employment—Reaching a Plateau

Published August 27, 2021

In July 2021, all printing employment was down -0.2% from June, production employment up +0.7%, and non-production printing employment down -2.0%.

March Graphic Arts Employment—Getting Back to Work

Published May 7, 2021

In March 2021, all printing employment was up +1.5% from February, production employment up +1.1%, and non-production printing employment up +2.2%.

A Tour of the HP Indigo B2 Development Lab

Published May 5, 2021

Itamar Malka, R&D Product Development Lab Manager at HP Indigo, takes us on a short tour of the HP Indigo B2 development lab, where HP tests new features and capabilities on machines like the HP Indigo 100K, 15K, and 12000—as well as systems still in development. Learn more about the lab in this video sponsored by HP Indigo.

Printing 2021 Quick Look: 2021 Profits

Published April 14, 2021

According to data from our recently published Printing Outlook 2021 special report, print businesses expect a +8.1% increase in profits from 2020 to 2021.

Printing Outlook 2021 Quick Look: 2020 Revenues

Published March 3, 2021

According to data from our recently published Printing Outlook 2021 special report, print industry revenues dropped -12.6% from 2019 to 2020, compared to +4.1% from 2018 to 2019.

Banner Year: A Conversation with AATCC's Incoming President

Published December 16, 2020

Harrie Schoots is taking on the volunteer role of President of AATCC in the year the association turns 100. In this conversation, you'll learn more about Harrie, his goals and objectives for 2021 for the association, and see the energy and innovative thinking he will bring to the organization.

Comexi’s Jordi Puig on Energy-Curing Ink for Flexo

Published August 3, 2020

Jordi Puig, Technical Director Flexo for Comexi, talks about the 60-year-old company and the latest trends in flexo printing—namely, sustainability and a transition to UV- and EB-curing inks.

Graphic Arts Employment—April 2020

Published June 5, 2020

Here we go: in April 2020, the overall printing employment was down -19.2% from March and down -21.4% from April 2019. We’ve been expecting this.

Subscription in the Print Industry? You Betcha

Published February 17, 2020

The world is rapidly shifting from products to services with subscription pricing models. Nick Gawreluk explains what is driving the subscription economy and how subscriptions are coming to the printing industry.

FASTSIGNS Intl. Celebrates 35 Years

Published January 22, 2020

Kelley Holmes talks to Catherine Monson, CEO of FASTSIGNS Intl., at the FASTSIGNS Convention in Phoenix, Ariz. FASTSIGNS is celebrating its 35th anniversary, and this year’s event is the largest they have had yet, with 166 vendors, larger than any regional sign show. The event showcased new products and technologies FASTSIGNS franchisees can offer.

Sourcing Top Talent in Tight Labor Markets

Published December 9, 2019

PrintLink's Arnie Kahn and Dino Scalia discuss today’s tight labor market, the printing industry's hiring challenges, and PrintLink’s process for sourcing top talent.

A Green Approach to Textiles

Published October 23, 2019

EFI Reggiani's Vice President and General Manager Adele Genoni discusses the progress of the analog-to-digital transformation underway in textiles and apparel in this video sponsored by EFI, including the benefits for brands and for the environment. She highlights several EFI offerings that make its approach to textile production greener.

Colter & Peterson’s Cutting Edges

Published October 17, 2019

Colter & Peterson’s Bruce Peterson talks about the company’s latest PRISM and SABER paper cutters, the company’s line of reconditioned cutters, and how cutters have evolved over the years.

Helping PSPs Better Understand the Market

Published October 17, 2019

Keypoint Intelligence’s Ron Gilboa and Karen Kimerer talk about how Keypoint Intelligence’s research can help print businesses make better, more strategic business and investment decisions by understanding the market they are trying to go after.

Colordyne Hybrid and Entry-Level Packaging Solutions Leverage Memjet’s DuraFlex

Published September 10, 2019

Colordyne has been a Memjet OEM for years, and has provided very cost-effective hybrid and complete solutions to print service providers and converters, as well as developing an OEM channel for branded solutions. DuraFlex opens up potential opportunities even further. David Zwang talks to Gary Falconbridge, CEO of Colordyne Technologies.

Converted Paper Product Manufacturing Establishments—2010–2016

Published September 6, 2019

In 2010, there were 4,128 establishments in NAICS 3222 (Converted Paper Product Manufacturing). By 2016, that number had declined -12% to 3,638.

Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing Establishments—2016

Published August 23, 2019

In 2016, there were 451 establishments in NAICS 322212 (Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing). More than half of these establishments (57%) have 50 or more employees and more than three-fourths (79%) have 20 or more employees.

CHILI publish's Smart Templates Automate Repetitive Tasks

Published August 15, 2019

Kevin Goeminne, CEO of CHILI publish, talks to David Zwang about CHILI publish, software designed for “smart artwork and marketing materials creation.” CHILI publish’s smart templates automate repetitive processes for premedia companies and brandowners.

Caldera Services Team Offers a Variety of Integration Services to Support Workflow Automation

Published August 14, 2019

Ben Amor, Regional Sales and Service Director Americas for Caldera, explains the markets Caldera RIPs serve, including the 1,400 different print drivers the company supports. He also talks about how the company's Services Team works with partners to facilitate further integration and automation across the entire production process for the markets it serves.

Frank Opines on the Upcoming PINE Conference

Published August 9, 2019

Frank strongly and heartily recommends Focus, the 2019 management conference organized by PINE (Printing Industries of New England), coming up September 11 to 13 in Beverly, Mass. Glancing through the conference brochure, Frank believes it is the “one of the best printing programs I have ever seen,” citing the prevalence of new faces and new ideas—exactly what the industry needs. Go to pine.org/conference for more information.

Why Gamification Matters to Print Service Providers

Published July 18, 2019

There are lessons that PSPs can learn in watching how the general public interacts with video games—a roughly $140 billion dollar industry that exists simply because people like to have fun. By bringing elements of game design into their companies and products, PSPs can create better, stronger training practices for their employees while also developing more engaging versions of their products. All of this can be accomplished through a process called gamification.

Pantone Adds Tools for Textile Designers

Published July 11, 2019

X-Rite/Pantone's Iain Pike talks about some of the changes the company has made to its offerings to simplify color selection and management for textile designers and others in the textile and apparel supply chain. New features include easier to use swatches, the i1Pro 3, and a partnership with Adobe at color.adobe.com for palette creation.

SmithersPira Digital Print for Packaging Conference Focuses on Results for Brands and Producers

Published June 6, 2019

Sean Smyth, Research Analyst at SmithersPira, explains that the focus of the 2019 edition of its Digital Print for Packaging Conference is increasingly on applications rather than print engines—looking at what users are actually creating with the technology, as well as how they can improve workflow.

Digital Printing Removes Barriers for Interior Designer Claire Vos

Published June 4, 2019

Claire Vos, textile designer for Interiors, shares her thoughts about how digital textile printing, and digital printing in general, has enhanced her business and opened a whole new world of design possibilities for her. Her work was prominently on display in the Mimaki booth at FESPA.

HP Enters the Textile Market with Stitch

Published May 20, 2019

Joan Perez Pericot, General Manager of the Large Format Graphics Division for HP, talks about the company's entry into the growing dye-sublimation-based textile printing market with HP Stitch.

March Printing Shipments: A Day at the Races

Published May 17, 2019

The value of printing shipments for March were up from February. However, at $6.66 billion, March 2019 shipments came in below March 2018’s $6.74 billion. That’s not a huge disappointment, but we were hoping for a better month.

KAO Collins Offers Specialized Inks for Almost Any Application

Published May 16, 2019

Kristin Adams, Marketing Manager for KAO Collins talks with Kelley Holmes about the company’s vast portfolio of inkjet inks. KAO Collins works with nearly 90% of printhead manufacturers to offer specialized inks for many different digital applications and customized solutions. The company most recently launched its LUNAJET water-based inks for flexible food packaging.

Xante's En/Press Gives Customers More Mailing Options

Published May 15, 2019

Rui Cardoso and Melizza van Gelderen take us on a tour of the Xante booth at Hunkeler Innovationdays, specifically discussing the new En/Press Digital Multi-Media Press for envelope printing.

Increase in Quantity and Quality of Inkjet Applications

Published May 8, 2019

Sean Smyth, Consultant and Analyst for SmithersPira, talks about Hunkeler Innovationdays, noting the increase in the quality of inkjet applications and the broadening of what can be done with inkjet.

Project Peacock Brings Print Education to the Marketing World

Published May 1, 2019

Deborah Corn of Print Media Centr talks about Project Peacock and the educational opportunities it provides to industry marketing experts and creatives.

Looking Ahead to Workflow at drupa 2020

Published May 1, 2019

Elizabeth Gooding, President of Inkjet Insight, talks with Pat McGrew about the "sex and sizzle" of drupa—namely, workflow.

FASTSIGNS to Expand Throughout the Caribbean

Published April 23, 2019

Jose Corujo, a FASTSIGNS franchise partner from Puerto Rico, plans to expand his business throughout the Caribbean, including the Dominican Republic, the Virgin Islands, and additional locations in Puerto Rico.

Zalsman b.v. Has More Than 160 Years of Experience

Published April 22, 2019

Herman Verlind, Owner of the Netherlands' Zalsman b.v., talks about the company's 160-year history and the future of their offset and digital printing capabilities.

Co-Branding with FASTSIGNS to Expand Business Opportunities

Published April 8, 2019

Mike Richardson, a FASTSIGNS franchisee from Bloomington, Ind., owns and operates Midwest Color Printing. Five years ago, after seeing increased demand for wide-format and signage work, joined the FASTSIGNS family, and today the two companies are co-branded, which has enabled him to greatly expand his business.

Bookmasters Utilizes Both Offset and Digital for Book Manufacturing

Published April 4, 2019

Brad Sharp, Director of Manufacturing for Ashland, Ohio's Bookmasters, talks about offset and digital on-demand book manufacturing. The past 10 years has seen an increase in demand for short-run and book-of-one book printing, which has driven growth in the company's digital printing capabilities.

NPOA Grows with its Members

Published April 3, 2019

Scott Capel, President of Sorrento Mesa Printing and one of the founders of the National Print Owners Association (NPOA), talks about the evolution of the association and his company.

Improving Competitiveness by Being Part of FASTSIGNS

Published April 2, 2019

Rod Thompson, a brand new FASTSIGNS franchisee based in Orlando, Fla., had a long background in digital printing, and felt that signage was the next step for his business. Becoming part of the FASTSIGNS family helped him immediately become competitive. Thompson talks with Kelley Holmes about his journey.

Otava Book Printing Invests in New Technology

Published April 1, 2019

Marko Silventoinen, Managing Director of Otava Book Printing in Finland, talks about the company's transition to digital and on-demand printing.

Gaby Mullinax: From Film to FASTSIGNS

Published March 20, 2019

After nearly 20 years running a retail photo boutique, and as the transition to digital photography and the electronic/social distribution of images was taking place, Gaby Mullinax saw new opportunities in signage and purchased a FASTSIGNS franchise. She talks to Kelley Holmes about her journey.

Frank's Book Tour

Published March 15, 2019

Frank takes us on a video tour of one of the CalPoly archives of bound volumes of printing magazines. Very few of these publications have been digitized and historians will have to dig through these printed volumes to find pertinent information.

Bluecrest Continues Its Rapid Growth

Published March 13, 2019

Grant Miller, President and CEO of Bluecrest, discusses the rapid, eight-month growth of the enterprise print and mail company that used to be part of Pitney Bowes. At Hunkeler Innovationdays, Bluecrest was showing its new ERP systems and other integrated print and mail solutions, which include workflow and analytics and reporting tools.

Screen Makes an Impact at Hunkeler Innovationdays

Published March 12, 2019

Mark Schlimme, VP of Marketing for Screen Americas, talks about his first Hunkeler event and his thoughts on the Hunkeler experience. Screen was showing two presses at Hunkeler Innovationdays: the new Truepress Jet520HD+, which boasts improved image quality and efficiency, and the Truepress Jet520NX, targeted at transactional printers looking to get into new applications. Screen was also “showing” its new invisible ink for the 520NX.

Ricoh Introduces New Technology at Hunkeler Innovationdays

Published March 6, 2019

Eef de Ridder, VP of Commercial and Industrial Printing for Ricoh Europe, discusses the value of Hunkeler Innovationdays and why Ricoh chose this event to launch the RICOH Pro VC70000.

Printing on Paper and Plastic Substrates with Konica Minolta's KM-1 Inkjet Press

Published March 4, 2019

Mark Hinder, Head of Market Development for Konica Minolta, talks about the range of applications for which the KM-1 Inkjet Press is well-suited—from books on offset paper to specialty printing on a variety of substrates such as foils, PVC, and different kinds of plastics.

Hunkeler Offers Customers More Services to Help Production

Published February 27, 2019

Stephan Estermann, VP of Services for Hunkeler AG, talks about the new service offerings that Hunkeler is bringing to market to increase customer productivity and profit.

Hunkeler Highlights New Roll and Sheet Solutions at Innovationdays 2019

Published February 26, 2019

Hans Gut, VP of Marketing, and Daniel Erni, VP of Sales, at Hunkeler AG talk about the latest finishing solutions the company is featuring at Innovationdays 2019. Hunkeler has continued to invest in automation features with its Generation 8 platform, and used the event to announce its entry into sheet finishing with the Hunkeler DOCUTRIM platform.

Expanding into Wide Format with FASTSIGNS

Published February 21, 2019

Kevin Hebert, a FASTSIGNS franchisee, co-branded in 2013 to add wide-format graphics to their existing printing company in Louisiana. In the last two years, they've opened four new centers.

Around the Web: 3D Printing Gets Big. Fruit Gets Branded. Textiles Get Transformed. An IoT Toothbrush Gets Updated. ThreadSol Gets Acquired. Edward Gorey Gets Tarotfied.

Published December 21, 2018

Phrozen, ironically, helps heat up the desktop 3D printer market. Is the U.S. missing the digital textile transformation bus? A new typeface is based on eye test characters, while another does away with the Latin alphabet entirely. Livetweeting an IoT toothbrush firmware update. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Cybersecurity in the Printing Industry

Published December 20, 2018

Carlos Fernandes, CEO of Agile Cybersecurity Solutions, discusses the importance of cybersecurity in the printing industry.

Specialty Print Communications Delivers Data-Driven Mail with Production Inkjet

Published December 19, 2018

Adam LeFebvre, President of Specialty Print Communications (SPC), talks with David Zwang about the company's niche in high-volume, data-driven direct mail and loyalty marketing solutions. SPC recently installed the Canon Océ Prostream 1000 and Canon Océ VarioPrint i300 to bring in new business from its existing customers and to open up opportunities with new customers.

PrintIQ Offers MIS Solutions

Published December 11, 2018

Matt Miloszewski, Sales Manager for PrintIQ, discusses end-to-end MIS solutions for the printing and graphic arts industry—from commercial to screen to packaging.

Aleyant's Print Job Manager Brings Consistent Pricing

Published November 14, 2018

Trent Foreman, Product Manager for Aleyant, walks through the process of estimating and pricing with Aleyant Print Job Manager.

Memjet Partners with Konica Minolta

Published November 1, 2018

Len Lauer, CEO of Memjet, announces new innovations in its inkjet technology, and the company's recent partnership with Konica Minolta.

AR Technology Reaches a New Level

Published October 31, 2018

M.J. Anderson, Chief Experience Officer of RealityBLU, discusses what makes new Augmented Reality technology different from QR codes and AR technology of the past. Without being intrusive to the design, users can become fully engaged in an interactive experience.

Mutoh Launches New Printer and Multipurpose Ink

Published October 25, 2018

Brian Phipps, President of Mutoh America, talks to Kelley Homes at PRINT 18. Mutoh won multiple products of the year awards in 2018 and is now launching the new 1627MH printer that uses a new multipurpose ink that prints on a variety of rollfed and rigid materials, offering even more versatility.

Ultimate Impostrip 2019 Unveiled at PRINT 18

Published October 24, 2018

Julie Watson, CEO of Ultimate TechnoGraphics, talks about a new product launched at PRINT 18. Ultimate Impostrip 2019, a Red Hot Technology that won the Vanguard Breakthrough Award, introduces artificial intelligence (AI) to add greater degrees of automation for hybrid—offset and digital—print environments.

Canon i300 Makes Highnote More Competitive

Published September 25, 2018

Jennifer Eberle of Highnote, a printing and marketing communications company based in Louisville, recently added a Canon i300 to their production line. Known for direct mail, wealth management, non-profit, and variable data printing, they've found the Canon i300 has made them more competitive.

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