Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

Frank on Mobile Trends' Impact on Print

Published July 17, 2015

New York Times print circulation is down while revenue is up and Frank uses this fact as a springboard to talk about mobile trends.

Frank on Candidate Logos and Typography Choices

Published July 10, 2015

Frank is running for president—just like everyone else. He examines the typography of some of the candidate logos, which are mostly sans serif. Only two are serif fonts. Lots of Avenir and almost no Helvetica.

Frank on Equipment Graveyards, Pre-1919 Full Color Baseball Cards, and Other Potpourri

Published June 26, 2015

Frank has a potpourri of commentary, from a TV typo to equipment graveyard to a print video to pre-1919 full-color baseball cards. Only Frank would find these to be relevant.

Frank: What the Helvetica?!

Published June 19, 2015

What the Helvetica?! Frank goes on a mini-rant when some typographic experts say that Times New Roman is a bad choice for resumes.

Remembering Hermann Zapf

Published June 12, 2015

Frank remembers Hermann Zapf (1918-2015) as one of the world’s great type designers. He shares some personal stories and shows some of Zapf’s works. Includes commentary from Richard Romano.

Frank on Saving Photos, Reading Retention, and Print Catalogs

Published May 29, 2015

Frank has three items that cover saving photos, reading retention, and catalogs. He starts with a Google executive saying that we should print more.

Frank Talks to Color Guru Ed Grainger on the Development of a New Color System

Published May 22, 2015

Frank meets up with color technology legend Ed Grainger at Taga Conference in Albuquerque. Ed was the inventor of the Kodak Approval proofing system and the Colortron. Frank gave him 3 minutes to describe a new system he is developing.

Frank Tours Cal Poly Graphic Communications

Published May 15, 2015

Frank tours the shelves of the Cal Poly Graphic Communications resource room and waxes nostalgic about books, especially his own books

Frank visits Mackenzie & Harris Typefoundry

Published May 8, 2015

Frank visits Mackenzie & Harris on their 100th anniversary. M&H is a hot metal typecaster and letterpress printer based in San Francisco.

Frank: Students Are Paying Too Much For Textbooks

Published May 1, 2015

Frank goes on a mini rant about textbook pricing. Students are paying a small fortune for textbooks because of student loans, government subsidies, and, perhaps, greed.

Frank on a Multi-Drop Approach To High Quality Inkjet Imagery

Published April 24, 2015

Frank talks about technology developer Mitch Bogart and his multi-drop approach to high quality inkjet imagery. Attention: inkjet suppliers—you should watch this.

Frank on JC Penney and its Catalog

Published April 17, 2015

When JC Penney killed their catalog, Frank opined that was the beginning of the end of the retailer. Things did get bad and now they are bringing the catalog back.

Frank on HP's High Definition Nozzle Architecture

Published April 10, 2015

Frank reviews samples from the new HP High Definition Nozzle Architecture for their popular Web Inkjet Press. Spoiler alert: he likes it.

Frank Gets a 3D-Printing Demo from 3D Systems

Published April 3, 2015

Frank gets a demo of 3D printing from Will Sturgeon, 3D Systems' retail training manager. With units as small as a mini-refridgerator, you too can be into 3D printing.

Frank Finds A Way To Save The Printing Industry

Published April 1, 2015

Frank Romano highlights industry news from the past 500 years. Some boring history lesson Zzzzz. Other major announcements include a way to “save the printing industry”.

Frank talks to Patrick Kerr from Kodak about Prepress Workflows

Published March 27, 2015

Frank talks to Patrick Kerr, Technical Product Manager at Eastman Kodak about prepress workflows at the EFI Connect conference in Las Vegas.

Frank Interviews Jim Niemiec of Verso on Papers for Digital Printing

Published March 20, 2015

Frank interviews Jim Niemiec, Product Innovation Manager at Verso, which recently acquired NewPage, on papers for digital printing. As the paper industry contracts, it is still seeing growth in paper for toner and inkjet printing.

Frank on Typewriters and Erasers

Published March 13, 2015

Remember those round red erasers with a brush on the end? Frank is at the Museum of Printing to talk about typewriters and erasers. Plus a game of “what is it?”

Type has been in the news because of # and @ and more

Published March 6, 2015

The renaissance in letterpress printing has been stymied by a shortage of the metal hashtag # and the @ sign. We are running out of typewriter symbols to usurp,

Frank Talks to Larry Zusman about Personalized Promotion

Published February 27, 2015

Larry Zusman is a pioneer in variable data printing and has a lot to say about personalized promotion. Frank caught up with him in Boston in a dark hotel corridor.

Frank spends a few minutes with designer Lance Hidy.

Published February 20, 2015

Frank interviews renowned graphic designer Lance Hidy at the Museum of Printing, who was one of the first creative artists to apply Photoshop.

Frank Begins with a Doorknob and Opens to Doors to an Entire Building

Published February 13, 2015

Frank talks about a unique building in New York City that is part of printing history. It was the first building built for multiple printing tenants.

Frank Visits X-Rite

Published February 6, 2015

Frank visits X-Rite and talks about new color workflows with Shoshana Burgett. X-Rite/Pantone has done a great deal to help brand owners communicate brand colors.

Sweden has its own typeface. Frank says America should have one too

Published January 28, 2015

Frank discusses several options for an all-American font. Helvetica is not an option. After all, it means Switzerland. ATF Americana comes to mind.

Frank has two new Books on the History of the Industry

Published January 23, 2015

In a shameless plug, Frank discusses his two new books about the history of the Linotype company and the phototypesetting era. All proceeds go to education.

Frank on The New Print Buyers: Who They Are, What They Want, and What You Should Do

Published January 16, 2015

Frank Romano reviews a recent report from Margie Dana and John Zarwan on the "New Print Buyer".

We Remember Robert Howard

Published January 12, 2015

Robert Howard, the genius behind the dot matrix printer and the direct imaging press, among many other technologies, passed over the holidays. He was 91. Chairman Bob, as he was called, was surrounded by his wife Kit and family

Frank on Screen Truepress Jet UV and Color-Logic Process Metallic Color System Technology

Published January 9, 2015

Frank shares a print application from Screen using its Truepress Jet UV digital printing platform with Color-Logic's Process Metallic Color System technology. Spoiler alert: He loves it.

Frank on the Changing Nature of Newspapers: Is It Inkjet Time?

Published December 19, 2014

Frank takes a look at the size change of newspapers over the course of 100 years by comparing news of the Titanic with news of current day and posits that newspapers are reaching a size that is coming close to inkjet's sweet spot.

Frank on a New Model for MFP Inkjet Sales

Published December 12, 2014

This week Frank talks inkjet printer ink - the kind you use in your personal office. He discusses Epson's recent announcement to begin offering refillable ink tanks and how this differs from previous sales models.

Frank Reviews the Highcon Technology (Spoiler: He Likes It)

Published December 5, 2014

Frank reviews the Highcon technology - a simple approach, yet very complex. He shows us several examples of what is possible, from packaging, to die cut cards, to stickers, and (coming soon) embossing.

Frank Highlights the New Screen Truepress Jet520HD

Published November 21, 2014

This week, Frank joins us from just outside of Chicago for the introduction of a new roll-fed inkjet press, the Screen Truepresss Jet520 HD.

Frank Talks Color Management (In a Purple Shirt)

Published November 14, 2014

This week, Frank revisits color management, first by thanking the many people involved in a recent comment thread on one of his videos, then by re-stating his opinion that color management is a mess. He also calls for a "Color Summit".

From RIT to Staples, Frank Interviews a Former Student

Published November 7, 2014

RIT graduate Justin Searles joins Frank Romano and talks about his career path since graduating and how he ended up at Staples as Production Manager.

Frank Romano's Media Storage Types Exhibit

Published October 31, 2014

This week, Frank shows off an exhibit he put together consisting of all different forms of media. From jacquard looms, to punch cards, to floppy disks, to DVDs. Frank has the history of storage media covered!

Frank Discovers a Wood Type Revival in New York

Published October 24, 2014

Frank visits Geri McCormick of Virgin Wood Type in Brighton, New York. They discuss how the company is reviving wood type and dig in to the process she uses.

Do Book Covers Still Matter?

Published October 17, 2014

Frank joins us this week with Holly Rollins from RIT as she discusses her thesis on e-books. The question she had was whether book covers were important for e-books as well as physical books. The answer: Yes!

Frank Romano on Color Management

Published October 10, 2014

This week, Frank talks color. Color management, specifically. Today, with all the innovation and years of dealing with it, color management is still an issue. The main problem? No consistent standard.

Another Round of "What's on Frank's Desk?"

Published October 3, 2014

We end a busy Graph Expo week with a lighthearted look at some things that wind up on Frank's desk. A printer in Mexico prints breaking news on hand towels. In Sri Lanka, a special newspaper prints with ink that has mosquito repellant. A "phone book looking booster seat" and Russian security officers trying to sell a stolen Gutenburg bible rounds out the desk pile.

Frank on Graph Expo: Size Doesn't Matter

Published September 30, 2014

Frank Romano joins us from his 41st Graph Expo and discusses the size of the show and why that's the wrong thing to focus on. There is more new stuff at this year's show than he's seen in a long time. In the end, it's not the floor size, but the new solutions changing the industry that matters.

Things That Come Across Frank Romano's Desk

Published September 26, 2014

Frank's back with commentary around things that come across his desk, including an ironic New York Times article about print, the Qwerky Writer keyboard that emulates a typewriter for digital devices, nanoparticles, and printing...humans!

Frank Visits Former RIT Students and Partners at VariDirect Solutions

Published September 19, 2014

Frank joins us from the New York offices of VariDirect Solutions, a company started by two RIT graduates. We learn about the history of the new company and their expansion into wide format printing.

The Printed Collateral of Frank's Cruise Ships

Published September 12, 2014

Frequent readers of WhatTheyThink are aware that Frank Romano does not fly commercially - he plans ahead and takes cruises. This week, we get a unique look into one of his cruises as he shows us the printed collateral that comes with a cruise.

Frank Finds Out How a Printer Became a Publisher in Canada

Published September 5, 2014

This week, Frank interviews Troy McKenzie of Kwik Kopy Printing in Prince Edward Island, Canada. We learn about how KKP went from doing print work for a customer to hiring him and creating a publishing business.

Frank Romano: Three Unrelated Things

Published August 29, 2014

Join Frank from his desk at RIT as he talks about 3 unrelated things that across the desk at the same time. From the first author to use a word processor to a pot printing printer, Frank has you covered to end your week.

Frank: Saving Money Through Typeface Choices

Published August 22, 2014

This week, Frank talks about typefaces that save ink. A teen recently told the federal government that he could save them $400 million by switching from Times New Roman to Garamond.

Frank Looks at the Motioncutter Digital High-Speed Laser System

Published August 13, 2014

Frank visits with Wim Koning of Screen Europe at Ipex and they look at the Motioncutter laster cut system, reviewing many samples that show off the capability.

Frank on the Oxford English Dictionary

Published August 6, 2014

This week, Frank talks about the Oxford English Dictionary. It's the largest dictionary in the world and 20 years behind schedule. It possibly won't be published in print again.

Frank on the Life Cycle of Data on CDs

Published July 30, 2014

This week, Frank talks about the lifespan of the CD/DVD. Your burned discs are dying. What material holds up over time? You guessed it. Paper!

Frank Romano's Mailbox: Frank Shows Off Wood Type Font Prints

Published July 23, 2014

This week, Frank Romano joins us again with things people send him. This time, it's from Appleton Coated who support the Hamilton Wood Type Museum. Frank shows prints made with some of the type.

Frank Romano: Traditional Engraving is Still Around!

Published July 16, 2014

This week, Frank shares a book he received from the International Engraved Graphics Assocation: "Design to Touch" and talks about the traditional engraving techniques used to print the book. More information at iega.org

Frank Romano Talks Trade Shows at Ipex

Published July 9, 2014

Frank Romano joins us from Ipex in the Komori booth - where he finds an actual printing press! He uses this opportunity to not only comment on Ipex, but industry trade shows in general.

Frank Romano on the History of the Typewriter

Published July 2, 2014

Back at the museum, Frank gives us a rundown of the many typewriters that he's saved over the years - including the one that got him through college. Yes, they had college back then! Frank also gives a good history of the device.

A Peek Into the Printing Library in Salem New Hampshire

Published June 25, 2014

Frank joins us from the library he's putting together in Salem, New Hampshire. He explores the different examples of historical steel engraved plates including several examples of Intaglio.

Frank Visits Newpage at Dscoop

Published June 18, 2014

Frank visits the Newpage booth at Dscoop and talks to Dennis Essary, Director of Digital Papers, who shows him a new booklet that employs layer technology for interactive print as well as unique paper usage in printed applications.

Frank talks with nekoosa on their unique digital substrates

Published June 11, 2014

This week, Frank talks with nekoosa about their digital substrates including coated sheets and magnetic materials.

Frank Visits the West Main Artist Collective

Published May 28, 2014

Frank visits the West Main Artist Collective in Spartanburg, South Carolina where he gives a small tour and shows some of the equipment used by artisans to do printmaking.

Frank Romano Gets an Inside Look at Greenville Press

Published May 21, 2014

This week Frank visits The Greenville News and talks to Steve Caldwell, Press Operations Manager. They take a look at two Goss presses on site. They talk page count and newspaper subscription trends and the result on their offset newspaper press business.

Frank Visits GPA's Booth and Gets a Tee Shirt

Published May 14, 2014

Frank stops by GPA's booth and learns more about the company and what they offer in addition to getting a free tee shirt. He speaks with Laura Weber, Marketing Communications Specialist at the company.

A Tour of Frank Romano's Mergenthaler Memorial

Published May 7, 2014

This week Frank joins us from his library where he shows us a new memorial to Ottmar Mergenthaler and the The Mergenthaler Linotype Company. As always, it's an opportunity for us to learn.

Frank Romano's Potpourri (Pile of Stuff Laying on His Desk)

Published April 30, 2014

This week, Frank brings us a potpourri of material. We think Potpourri is French for "Pile of Stuff Laying on Ones Desk". Newsweek returns to print, the 1984 Betamax decision, print trumps digital in the attention economy, Chicago bypasses postal service for distribution, and print book growth.

Frank Romano: All These 1991 Products Now on iPhone

Published April 23, 2014

This week Frank (still wearing that shirt), shares an article about a 1991 Radio Shack ad featuring products that were deprecated by the introduction of the iPhone.

Frank Romano on Printing Wikipedia

Published April 16, 2014

This week Frank talks about a project aimed at printing all 4.3 million Wikipedia articles in 1,000 volumes. He also talks about how to get a single page from a Gutenberg bible for a cool 85 grand.

Frank Discusses Strange 3D Things Happening in the World

Published April 9, 2014

This week, Frank talks about discovering strange things that are happening in the world. A Hershey Chocolate 3D printer, a 3D robot, and futurology are all included in Romano's crazy mixed up world! Oh...and there's the shirt. What's up with the shirt?

Frank Romano Shows Off His Collection of Early Macintosh Computers

Published April 2, 2014

This week Frank shows us a library of items he's put together related to the printing industry. Among them are early Apple computers.

Frank Romano at Ipex 2014

Published March 28, 2014

Frank joins us from Ipex to talk about the show. He picks a spot to shoot the video with an actual printing press (Komori) behind him. We get his opinion of not only the Ipex show, but industry trade shows in general: yes, we still need them!

Just What IS on Frank's Wall?

Published March 26, 2014

This week, Frank answers a much asked question: What is all that stuff on the wall behind you? Viewers have long noticed when Frank is shooting his weekly video in his RIT office, there is a wall of stuff behind him. This week, we finally get a tour of "the wall".

From the Desk of Frank Romano

Published March 19, 2014

Frank discusses several things this week as they come across his desk. Helvetica perfume? Your likeness in chocolate? A 3D printed book cover? A rant on the decline of the Christmas card? All this and more from the beloved curmudgeon emeritus.

Frank on 3D Printing and Printed Electronics

Published March 12, 2014

Frank talks about all the news out there related to 3D printing and printed electronics. His google news alerts for "printing" is now 90% about 3D printing. Printed audio speakers, printed electricity, paper batteries. Frank has the future covered.

Frank Discusses Both Print Past and Print Future

Published March 5, 2014

Frank talks about the crown jewel of American Printing fetching $14.2 million, meeting a hectograph user on a train (whose daughter mentions him in an article), and the changing nature of "print is dead" articles.

A Potpourri of Material from Frank Romano

Published February 26, 2014

Frank skims the Internet and finds several items to comment on. Among them is what he calls "the dumbest idea ever" and "the most brilliant move a printing company could make". Want to know jobs about to be extinct? Frank knows!

Preserving the Art of Letterpress Printing

Published February 19, 2014

This week, Frank discusses the renaissance of letterpress printing and other historic craft printing and paper making techniques. Recently, RIT acquired an historic press that will allow them to teach students the art of letterpress printing.

Frank Gets Mail - Some of it He Really Likes!

Published February 12, 2014

This week Frank highlights mailers he's received that caught his attention. One by Canon - a thick three dimensional piece from Wired magazine, and one by EFI - an older piece he misplaced but saved because it has a video component. Yes. Video in a mailed marketing piece!

A History Lesson on the Birth of the Modern Phone System and the Internet

Published February 5, 2014

Frank gives a history lesson on the birth of the modern phone system. He focuses on a letter written to President Wilson from the President of AT&T. The end result of the coming regulated monopoly? The Internet!

Frank Helps Celebrate Kodak NYSE Re-listing

Published January 29, 2014

Frank joins us from the New York Stock Exchange floor where he was invited to celebrate Kodak being re-listed on the exchange. He talks about the job Antonio Perez did in guiding the company through bankruptcy and re-inventing itself.

Frank on Isaac Asimov, Backward and Forward

Published January 22, 2014

Frank reminisces about using a word processor (via cassette) in 1972 and meeting Isaac Asimov. Frank chases down an article by Asimov that mentions the use of the word processor and talks about some of Isaac's predictions. How close did he come?

Frank: Will Kiosks Replace Print?

Published January 15, 2014

This week, Frank catches a "blurb" in a local newspaper and as always uses it as a jumping off point for a rant for print. Will kiosks be the downfall of print? Of course not! See why.

Kindle, Schmindle...Paper Lives!

Published January 8, 2014

Frank gets sent an article which gets his attention. The title: "No, Paper Isn't Dead". The title got his attention, but what gets his focus is the article's claim that paper making hasn't changed much since it was invented in China. The final solution to the digital challenge? Chocolate paper!

A Visit by the Ghost of Printing Yet to Come

Published December 20, 2013

Predicting the future is easy; predicting what will happen next month is almost impossible. Prediction is especially difficult in the printing industry because we adapt technologies from other disciplines.

AARP Inkjet Messaging and the SarcMark

Published December 18, 2013

This week Frank uses his issues of AARP to highlight something new he noticed - inkjet messaging. He then talks about an unrelated story involving a new emoticon to express sarcasm. Yes, he's serious.

Frank Talks About the Future

Published December 11, 2013

This week, Frank talks about the future. A recent article he read discusses books that predicted the future and he uses this as a jumping off point to discuss the fact that nobody ever predicted the Internet.

Frank Reviews the Lumejet Printing Technology

Published December 4, 2013

Frank gets a sample from Lumejet and is compelled to research the methods and share them with us. He calls the output the highest quality printing he has ever seen.

Frank Gets the Scoop on the PDF/VT Standard from CalPoly's Howard Vogl

Published November 27, 2013

Frank talks to Professor Howard Vogl at CalPoly about the PDF/VT standard. Professor Vogl explains what the format is and talks about student samples on PDFA.org. They also discuss what's next with the standard.

Big Changes at Printing Industries of America

Published November 25, 2013

Last week, with no public announcement, the Printing Industries of America dismissed 15 employees with little or no notice, according to sources. Some had over 30 years of service to GATF, with whom PIA merged in the late 1990s.

A Look Inside a Label Printing Operation with Frank Romano

Published November 20, 2013

Frank visits InTouch Labels and talks to Lauren Hayes about their label production and how she got into the business. They also cover the digital label finishing that follows the label printing.

Frank on the Rise of Demo Centers and the Impact on Trade Shows

Published November 13, 2013

This week Frank addresses the changing nature of how larger industry vendors are displaying their products using technology and demo centers and the impact that has on shows that are essential for smaller vendors to reach the market.

Frank Dumps His 1999 Catalogs

Published November 6, 2013

Frank takes us on another journey - this time to a warehouse where he shows us some things he's been accumulating that he is parting ways with. All the catalogs that arrived at his house in 1999, a total of 490 catalogs! He used them to do analysis at the time of the types of paper used, size, and number of pages. Today he uses them to explain the changing nature of the printed catalog.

Frank and His Miscellaneous Things

Published October 30, 2013

This week Frank sweeps up around the office and gathers some "miscellaneous stuff that's been hanging around". From Mr. Romano romano cheese graters to thumb drives that look like thumbs, Frank has you covered.

Frank Romano: People Send Me Stuff!

Published October 23, 2013

This week, Frank talks about things that people send him. The latest (personalized) edition of American Printer magazine is among the items as well as HP Indigo printed samples, and a direct mail piece with a nickel in it.

What is it with Governments and Printing?

Published October 16, 2013

The government may be shut down, but that doesn't stop Frank from talking about them. From the GPO name change, new public printer, federal printing plants, to Canada wanting to move to "e-printing", Frank tries to figure out "what is it with governments and printing".

Frank Visits HP's Demo Center

Published October 9, 2013

Frank visits the HP demo center in Alpharetta Georgia and gives us a tour along with commentary on what he calls "the most amazing demo center I have ever visited". The 68,000 square foot space houses virtually the entire HP printing product line.

From the Mouths of Babes: Books are Still Fun!

Published October 2, 2013

This week, Frank visits St. Jude School in Waltham Massachusetts and talks to three wonderful young ladies about books. What do we learn? We find out that despite their having electronic devices, these youth still read books and will continue to do so. This one's cute factor goes to 11.

Articles by Frank Romano