Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

Frank Visits EastPak 2017

Published July 7, 2017

Frank provides a guided tour of EastPak 2017, complete with 3D printing, robotics, and invisible stealth companies.

Frank Twitters

Published June 29, 2017

Frank contends that he created the term “TWITTERS” and except for an S would be owed a lot of money. He shows examples from 1980 copies of TypeWorld.

Romano Review of Books: "Brand Luther"

Published June 23, 2017

Frank reviews a book called “Brand Luther” that tells the true story of an unknown monk who used printing to challenge the mightiest force on earth at the time.

Everything You Wanted to Know about the Bang & Interrobang

Published June 16, 2017

From the Latin for joy to the screamer, we are using exclamation marks for much of our communication. The interrobang is not used as much.

Kids and Their Computers.

Published June 9, 2017

Frank opines about kids and computers. He even interviews an actual kid who is using a typewriter.

The Great Handwriting Over Printing Debate

Published June 2, 2017

Frank opines about irony in the modern world and also harks back to 1516 when a monk praised handwriting over printing.

Frank on QuarkXPress and Adobe InDesign

Published May 26, 2017

In a frank video, Frank confesses that he still uses QuarkXPress, in a world dominated by Adobe InDesign. He is unapologetic.

A Mailer That Grows Wildflowers. A Tree That Grows Books.

Published May 19, 2017

Thinking he's got something special, WhatTheyThink Senior Video Editor Jon Emmerich does a little show-and-tell and asks for Frank's response. In true Frank fashion, Frank quickly and efficiently crushes Jon's dreams.

Frank Catches up with Print Evangelist Daniel Dejean

Published May 12, 2017

Frank catches up with Daniel Dejean of SAPPI Fine Paper at the Digital Printing event in Toronto. Daniel is a great evangelist for print.

Frank on our Emotional Attachment to Books

Published May 5, 2017

Frank looks at some old books produced as part of student projects and a host of memories are evoked. This never happens with e-books or PDFs.

Frank on Digital Textile Printing

Published April 28, 2017

Frank bumps into David Manning, his oldest friend, at the Print Canada show. After high school, David went into the textile industry and Frank went into printing. Now their worlds have come together as printers use inkjet devices to print on fabric.

Carl Dantas, former head of Compugraphic, dead at 83

Published April 26, 2017

A lifetime is filled with many people. In 1971, I joined Compugraphic Corp. as their first marketing communications manager. Carl Dantas was then the VP of Operations. As the two founders, Bill Garth and Ellis Hansen, became less involved, Carl moved up the ranks to head the company.

Frank Visits Cal Poly's Shakespeare Museum

Published April 21, 2017

Frank goes back in time as he visits the Cal Poly Shakespeare Museum. Surrounded by modern printing technology, this collection is a time warp of how printing was in the past.

Printing with E-coli and Charging Students to Print Homework

Published April 7, 2017

Frank has a potpourri of items to rail against, especially printing with e-coli bacterium. He also rants against charging students for printing homework assignments.

Frank Romano Memorial Bookshelf at CalPoly

Published March 30, 2017

Frank tours the Student Resource Room at Cal Poly and points out his books (because no one else will). Cal Poly has received many donations of research publications over the years.

CalPoly Students Create Book about Printing Pioneer Michael Bruno

Published March 24, 2017

Frank’s class at Cal Poly produced a 300-page book on the life and work of printing pioneer Michael Bruno. Mike was one of the major researchers who made offset lithography a viable process.

Frank on Newspaper Business Practices

Published March 17, 2017

We need newspapers and they need us. But some of their business practices could be improved. With declines in ad revenues, newspapers are raising subscription rates to stay in business.

Frank Visits Delphax

Published March 10, 2017

Frank visits Delphax in Missassauga, Canada to take a look at the elan 500 digital printing system. It is interesting that many of the original Delphax ion deposition printing systems are still in use. The elan is their first foray into inkjet printing.

Frank and Konica Minolta's Gavin Smith "Connect" on Book Cover Embellishment

Published February 17, 2017

Frank talks to Gavin Smith of Konica, which distributed 800 copies of “The New Print Industry” book at EFI CONNECT Conference. We discuss the cover embellishment by MGI.

Frank on Industry Research and WhatTheyThink's Printing Forecast

Published February 10, 2017

Frank reviews WhatTheyThink's latest research and "Printing Forecast 2017". This insightful report captures the mindset of the printing industry at this time and presents both Federal data and projections.

Frank Talks to EFI's Holly O’Rourke about Connect 2017

Published February 3, 2017

Frank talks to Holly O’Rourke of EFI about the latest EFI CONNECT Conference held in Las Vegas. This was one of the most successful of the 17 CONNECT Conferences in terms of content and attendance.

Frank on RIT Professor Frank Cost's Contact Print Book

Published January 26, 2017

Once again, RIT professor Frank Cost has preserved his family’s memories. It all started with a contact sheet of six Black & White prints of Frank’s mother from the 1950s.

We lost Derek Kyte and Lucien De Schamphelaere

Published January 23, 2017

A Rememberance by Frank Romano

Frank on Pre-VDP Personalized Direct Mail

Published January 20, 2017

Frank Romano keeps EVERYTHING. This week he shares his collection of pre-VDP personalized direct mail when everyone was a winner. Direct marketers tried every trick to get you to open the envelope.

Frank Looks Back at Early Variable Data Printing

Published January 13, 2017

Frank talks about some of the earliest Variable Data Printing from when digital color first came into play in 1994. He shows the now classic Alphabits piece and many others.

Back to the Future of Print

Published January 6, 2017

Frank and his students have been predicting the future of print for over 20 years. He shows us five books that students have produced as class projects, with one done in two weekends.

Frank's Chest of Gutenbergian Junk

Published December 20, 2016

Frank shows his collection of Gutenbergian souvenirs. He may be keeping the Gutenberg Museum souvenir shop in business single handed. If you're looking for a holiday gift to give Frank, may we suggest two tickets to "Gutenberg: The Musical."

Frank Rant Alert: Inkjet Printer Ink Packaging

Published December 16, 2016

Frank goes on a rant about desktop inkjet printer ink packaging. He is so upset he does not notice the light, although it could be the heat emanating from his head.

Mural Wall Printing by Zeescape

Published December 9, 2016

An Australian company has developed an inkjet printing system that prints on walls — right, walls. Zeescape has created a new category of inkjet printer: wide format, flatbed, 3D, and now vertical.

Frank is Entranced by Pop-up Cards

Published December 2, 2016

Frank is entranced by pop-up cards from opencardnow.com. Former typographer Julie Brumlik has a new career with pop-up origami. Frank even shares his pop-up Gutenberg book.

Frank is Intrigued by 3 Unrelated Technology Items

Published November 23, 2016

Frank is intrigued by three unrelated technology items: food made from wood, energy made from urine, and and paper made from waste paper in the office.

Frank Talks to Color Management Consultant About Tracking Color During Production

Published November 18, 2016

Frank meets up with David Hunter who has developed a system that tracks all color activity in a plant for all devices with feedback and data that aids in the management of production.

Frank on Unique Augmented Reality Application Created by RIT Students

Published November 11, 2016

Frank meets with Professor Elena Fedorovskaya at RIT School of Media Sciences to get a demonstration of a unique augmented reality smart phone app created by students. Any image, print or art or more, can activate a link to a website for video or audio presentation.

Frank is a Hoarder

Published November 4, 2016

We know that Frank is a hoarder but we did not know that it extended to hats. You got that right. Frank has saved hats. He wears most of them in this video.

Dot-com Printers. Where are they now?

Published October 28, 2016

Frank found a copy of one of his old books that covered the dotcom boom of the late 1990s. It is interesting to see who was who then and who is still around now. (Watch this one in full screen)

The Largest Printers in 1992. Where Are They Now?

Published October 21, 2016

Frank found a list of the largest printers from 1992. It documents the significant changes in the industry through merger, acquisition, and bankruptcy.

Frank on the Time Magazine Archive

Published October 7, 2016

TIME magazine moved its entire archive from its New York City headquarters. This archive represents the history of most of the 20th Century.

Frank Explores Graph Expo 2016

Published September 29, 2016

Frank Romano is sweet on Graph Expo, but it's not all sunshine and roses. Follow along as he explores his favorite and not-so-favorite highlights on the trade show floor in Orlando, Florida.

Brad Flagge of Push Solutions Talks About Recent Offset Investments

Published September 22, 2016

Frank Romano talks to Brad Flagge President and CEO of New Berlin, WI based Push Solutions. Push Solutions recently installed a new offset press from RMGT with LED UV. The press allows the to print on both paper and, a new market for them, plastic substrates.

Frank Visited Patrick Goosens' Bakery & Antique Press Warehouse

Published September 16, 2016

Frank visited Patrick Goosens who owns the oldest bakery in Antwerp. What does this have to do with printing? Patrick has filled a large warehouse with 100s of antique presses and typesetting machines and saved a large part of printing history.

Frank's New Book: The New Print Industry

Published September 9, 2016

This will be Frank's 44th GraphExpo/Print event and attendees at his two seminars will receive a free book on The New Print Industry. Graphco in Solon, Ohio produced the books at a recent open house.

Around the World with Frank: Two Sides UK

Published September 2, 2016

Frank always takes the long way to Drupa on a ship that goes around the world. From Israel to China and Antwerp to London, he files reports that we will run over the next few weeks. In this week's episode Frank is having a pint with Jonathan Tame from Two Sides UK to talk about Two Sides and its mission to promote sustainability of print communications.

Around the World with Frank: London Book Sale

Published August 26, 2016

Frank always takes the long way to Drupa on a ship that goes around the world. From Israel to China and Antwerp to London, he files reports that we will run over the next few weeks. In this week's episode Frank is at a book sale in London.

Around the World with Frank: Lost in the Hallways at HP Indigo

Published August 19, 2016

Frank always takes the long way to Drupa on a ship that goes around the world. From Israel to China and Antwerp to London, he files reports that we will run over the next few weeks. In this week's episode Frank is still at HP Indigo.

Around the World with Frank: HP Indigo

Published August 12, 2016

Frank always takes the long way to Drupa on a ship that goes around the world. From Israel to China and Antwerp to London, he files reports that we will run over the next few weeks. In this weeks episode he stops at HP Indigo in Israel.

Around the World with Frank: Artron Printing

Published August 5, 2016

Frank always takes the long way to Drupa on a ship that goes around the world. From Israel to China and Antwerp to London, he files reports that we will run over the next few weeks. In this weeks episode he stops at Artron Printing in Shenzhen, China.

Frank's Hot Type Time Machine Travels Back to Time of Paste Ups

Published July 29, 2016

Frank time travels back to the days of rubber cement, wax, rubylith, non-repro blue, and the “magic knife.” We think he is sniffing rubber cement.

Frank on Company Slogans and Taglines

Published July 22, 2016

Frank looks back at slogans and taglines from printing industry suppliers at drupa 2016.

Frank on Counterfeiting and Promotions that Suck

Published July 15, 2016

Frank comments on counterfeiting in a hotel room, a golden anniversary for an industry icon, and e-mail “promotion promotion” that sucks. All are totally unrelated.

Frankentype: Growing Type in a Petri Dish

Published July 8, 2016

Growing type in a petri dish. Yes, scientists in Israel have created frankentype in the lab. This may be how Comic Sans was created.

Frank on Print Publications Declines

Published July 1, 2016

As the number of print publications declines, the number of places where you can buy them declines as well. We may be running out of places to buy printed pubs.

Frank Visits Scodix at drupa 2016

Published June 24, 2016

Once again, Frank waxes poetic about a machine. We think he likes machines more than people. This time it is the B1 Scodix press for embellishment of all kinds.

Frank Gives an Overview of Landa at drupa 2016

Published June 17, 2016

Frank climbs to the top of the Landa booth to give both a verbal and visual overview of the hottest ticket at drupa.

Frank's drupa Notebook: Kodak 3.0

Published June 3, 2016

The yellow box is glowing again. You sense it as soon as you enter the Kodak booth at Drupa 2016. It is the most creative booth I have seen in my eleven Drupas. Every product and service is showcased. Customer samples abound. It is Disneyland for printing geeks.

Frank's drupa Notebook: Important themes of drupa

Published June 3, 2016

Frank covers 12 important themes of drupa 2016 that he thought worth sharing, including new inks, corrugated digital presses, digital approaching offset speeds, and more!

Frank Visits Massachusetts College of Art & Design in Boston

Published May 27, 2016

Frank visits with Al Gowan at the TJ Lyons antique font collection at Massachusetts College of Art & Design in Boston.

Frank: The Future of Photography is Print!

Published May 20, 2016

Frank shows a unique book of beautiful photos by Eddy Hagen of VIGC in Belgium. The future of photography is print because that is the way we will preserve them.

Frank on Retail Magazine Prices

Published May 13, 2016

Retail prices for magazines are going up as sales are going down. Frank paid over $10 for a magazine and still has not gotten over it.

Ink Ado: Frank Visits with Benny Landa

Published May 6, 2016

Benny Landa drives fast. I think he is in a hurry to reach the future. We had been on a whirlwind visit to the several Landa facilities in Tel Aviv, Israel and we were heading to a secret lab buried in the bowels of a non-descript industrial building.

Frank Loves Coupons

Published April 29, 2016

Frank loves coupons. They save money and they are in print. Or they are online and you print them out with your paper and ink. Or they are on your mobile device and you do a pixel pass at checkout.

Frank: Print Still the Best Way to Share Memories

Published April 15, 2016

Frank talks about another Frank who just published a book on his family history. Print is still the best way to share memories and Frank Cost does it very well.

Frank: What's the Matter with Kids These Days?

Published April 8, 2016

Kids. What’s that matter with kids today? Kids. Who can understand what they say? Kids. Get them to say one word to me. Kids. That’s ‘cause they text and talk electronically.

Landa and the Soul of a New Machine

Published April 4, 2016

Landa has announced that its lineup of Nanographic Printing presses at Drupa will include sheetfed presses running at 13,000 B1 sheets per hour as well as one meter-wide (41 in.) web presses printing on plastic packaging films. The company will also unveil Landa Nano-Metallography, a zero-waste metallization technology that will halve the cost of metallized printing compared to foil transfer processes.

Yeah…Well…You Know…That’s Just Like Frank’s Opinion, Man

Published April 1, 2016

In a break from his typical format, Frank Romano gives us a peek into his mind as he dives deep into hard-hitting, sometimes taboo topics and issues such as politics, religion, and even nutrition. He even somehow manages to relate all these things back to the printing industry in a way that only Frank Romano can. So sit back, enjoy, and watch the master at his craft.

The Death of the Card Catalog and the New World of Search

Published March 25, 2016

Frank bemoans the loss of the venerable library card catalog but celebrates the new world of search. The analog cards and the Dewey Decimal System were fine in their day but the world has changed.

Frank: America Must Close its Font Gap

Published March 18, 2016

Canada 150 is a national font for our friends up north. Basketball players now have their own typefaces. America must close this “font gap.”

Frank on Independent Bookstores

Published March 11, 2016

The number of independent bookstores is up as the total number of bookstores is down. Frank talks about new and used books. He sees no future in used e-books.

Frank: Converting Printed Books to Digital Form

Published March 4, 2016

Converting printed books to digital form is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Information is more accessible than at any time in the history of the world. Fat good it does.

Frank: E-Book Sales versus Print Book Sales

Published February 26, 2016

E-books are up and print books are down. Print books are up and e-books are down. What’s going on? Just a reflection of the contradictory nature of the book consumer.

Frank: Beautiful Printing from Puerto Rico

Published February 19, 2016

Frank found another example of beautiful printing. It is from Model Offset in Puerto Rico and was sent by Suzette Jimenez, a former RIT student.

Frank: Election ballots, Martha Stewart, and letterpress printing

Published February 12, 2016

Frank found two unrelated items that piqued his interest. One was pre-marked election ballots and the other was not. Find out how Martha Stewart and letterpress printing are related.

What Happens if Amazon Dies

Published February 4, 2016

Frank opines on what happens if amazon.com dies? Think of all the data that it has stored and its long tentacles that extend into every nook and cranny of cyberspace—and our lives.

Frank: Ad Inserts Are A Call To Action

Published January 29, 2016

Free standing inserts may be annoying but they are an important part of commerce. Ad inserts are a call to action. They give you a reason to visit a store and maybe buy something.

Frank on QR Codes and Ad Blocking

Published January 22, 2016

Frank opines about the elimination of QR codes and how ad blocking may lower advertising industry revenue.

Chatbooks Drives Print Demand Using Digital Content, Frank Comments

Published January 15, 2016

WhatTheyThink's Eric Vessels asks a video question of Frank Romano about a new service he discovered called Chatbooks. The app let's you take your digital photos from Instagram, Facebook, or your phone and make a photobook. The killer app, though, is the subscription model. Frank is impressed!

Frank Romano on what to expect at drupa 2016

Published January 12, 2016

Frank is heading off to his 11th drupa -- 44 years of drupa since 1972! He characterizes the show as inkjet on steroids -- from teaser inkjet drupa to real inkjet drupa to inkjet on steroids. He also expects to see many more innovations, including workflow. More Americans should go to get a glimpse of the future -- so says Frank Romano!

Articles by Frank Romano