A Few Trends that Got Us to Where We Are

Published September 16, 2011

Printers are providing more value-added services that go beyond paper. They are evolving into new kinds of companies. Here are some of the steps that got us to this point.

September is National Coupon Month?

Published September 14, 2011

The President of the PIA mails the President of the USA and apparently September is National Coupon Month; just another typical week on This Week with Frank Romano.

Printing Problems in 1938 VS 2011

Published September 7, 2011

Frank goes over some very interesting bullet points from The Book Industry in Transition and discovers some very interesting similarities between printing's past and now.

QR Codes are Going Strong! Also, Google Killed the QR Code!

Published August 31, 2011

This Week with Frank Romano (because Frank doesn't seem to know the name of his own show) features two opposing articles about the much loved/hated QR code.

Paper is Part of the Printing Process

Published August 24, 2011

This week Frank shares an interesting patent that could make one paper to rule them all and the dangers of print manufacturers holding the keys to paper, ink, and equipment.

The bookstore at the end of the universe

Published August 19, 2011

Frank takes a trip down memory lane reminiscing the days of the bookstore and what the future may hold.

Now You See It, Now You Don't, But Print It Anyways

Published August 17, 2011

Frank comes across "A Practical Way to Make Invisibility Cloaks" and theorizes the huge impact invisible printing will have on color management.

Yearbooks on demand

Published August 10, 2011

Frank talks about where the future of the modern high school yearbook with the rapid decline of yearbook orders over recent years.

Photography has truly gone digital

Published August 3, 2011

With the rapid decline of photographic film Frank takes a look at some recent photo book samples from digital presses showcasing the range of digital printing today and most people would never know the difference.

U.S. Postal Service, oh how you've fallen

Published July 27, 2011

Frank shares a touching story from the Postal Service's past and how today's USPS operations are completely unacceptable for small printers.

Frank's going to Graph Expo, are you?

Published July 22, 2011

Frank tells you why he endorses Graph Expo and why now more than ever it is important to make the trip to Chicago this September 11-14.

Frank collection of unusual devices

Published July 20, 2011

This week Frank brings us some odd devices this week including a book charger (seriously) and what he thinks is a genius idea for corning the ice cube market (again, not kidding.)

Printing on the High Seas

Published July 15, 2011

The Rochester Institute of Technology and Cunard Lines have a unique work-study program. Students are trained in Rochester and then begin a multi-month stint running the ship's print shop. Andy Berghauser describes his experience with the program.

Frank invents a NY Times conspiracy

Published July 13, 2011

The New York Times adjusts printing on-the-fly, sells a warehouse to a server farm, and Kindle editions that magically disappear. Conspiracy? Frank certainty doesn't think so.

Leave our trees alone (so we can cut them down)

Published July 6, 2011

Saving the trees may sound good on paper, but soon that could hurt the food supply. Food supply? Frank shares some interesting tidbits about how trees work in our food supply.

Frankly the facts about digital printing

Published June 29, 2011

Google has been vigorously searching and scanning out of print and out of copyright books. All of those books become searchable bits thanks to Google Ngram Viewer. So what does Frank do with all that data from books? He uses it to search for emerging print terms, that's what!

Press event follies and failures with Frank

Published June 22, 2011

Frank doesn't really go out much to attend press events so it's a rare occasion to see his presence at one. Frank highlights his experiences from two recent events.

Frank goes book shopping

Published June 15, 2011

Frank goes over some of his more recent finds from various bookstores around the world. Proof that printing is better than hand printing, teaching the lost art of print to kids, and that two cultures can actually get along just fine.

Frank Thoughts

Published June 10, 2011

All communication will some day be reduced to tweets -- small bursts of information 140 characters in length. They are the bumper stickers of the 21st century. Here are some of mine.

Frank's inside look at Concord Litho

Published June 8, 2011

Frank gets a private tour of Concord Litho to see their latest innovations that keeps them ahead of the printing curve.

A history lesson with Professor Frank

Published June 1, 2011

This week Frank goes over the accomplishments of another great father and son in printing history, the Bentons.

Frank's Mail Call

Published May 25, 2011

Frank shows off some of the items he gets in the mail. Frank now knows he can annoy people in yet another language, a promo piece that's too good to throw away and paper you can really feel all up ahead in This Week with Frank Romano

Millions of books, one at a time

Published May 20, 2011

In 2008, the production of non-traditional print-on-demand books exceeded traditional book publishing for the first time. Since then, its growth has been overwhelming. The market is now closing in on 10 times the output of traditional titles. What is more amazing is that this growth has been one book at a time.

We can print if we want to

Published May 18, 2011

The heated discussion about saving trees continues. Frank's opinion? Printing is good and actually SAVES trees while the modern computer is a pile of toxic energy waste.

The death of the tax form

Published May 11, 2011

Today's agenda, no more tax forms, checks bounce (back) and maybe Frank could one day see his lifelong dream come true, directing Helvetica the Musical. All ahead in This Week with Frank.

Frank loves the smell of notes in the morning

Published May 4, 2011

Here's the short of it, Kelly Services hires Xerox to reduce print, Cliff Notes Shorts, and Scented Digital Print.

Frank's 15 minutes of fame

Published April 27, 2011

This week Frank's hamming it up for another camera! Frank's back in the Museum of Printing working on a movie for PBS called 'Rebel' helping recreate authentic copies of a book from the Civil War Period

Frank looks at recent industry events

Published April 22, 2011

We’ve asked if the print industry can still support multiple trade shows. Now Frank is wondering about trade associations. He went to a couple recent events and he’s reported back to us on what kind of year we’re having on the event circuit.

Frank on promoting print

Published April 20, 2011

Frank's very excited to see some new looks on ways to promote print. Promoting print is going beyond what print IS to showing what print can DO.

Frank: Go Print Yourself

Published April 13, 2011

This week Frank Romano shares some interesting studies on efforts to print human skin and the practical applications, such as skin grafts for burn victims, to the bizarre.

Book Incubators and Espresso Books, Distribution of Tomorrowland

Published April 6, 2011

This week Frank talks about how vending machines are being used to cut back on retail staff which made him reminisce the old days of book vending and the modern equivalent printing on demand.

Frank shows off a M-Press in Canada

Published April 4, 2011

Frank was invited to Canada's Middleton Group to see one of the first installations of Agfa's M-Press. Could this be the edge printers are looking for?

Frank: WiFi KILLS trees

Published March 30, 2011

Frank reviews a shocking study that appeared in the LA Times showing that Ash trees closest to WiFi networks may be dying.

$100 says Frank knows how his phone bill is made

Published March 4, 2011

Frank makes a rare observation about his phone bill and shares an old story about the $100 bill and how it could have created jobs.

Frank vs The Advantages of Modern Letter Press

Published January 28, 2011

This week Frank revisits some literature published in 1957 on the modern letter press and how it fought the changing times to offset lithography.

Frank's Ode to Printers

Published December 17, 2010

Frank wraps up the year with a gift celebrating the great material known as print. Download Text Reprint (PDF)

Frank visits Print's Past

Published December 15, 2010

This week Frank visits the Mount Washington Hotel's Print Shop to see a bit of print history.

Frank reminisces the days of Linotype

Published December 8, 2010

This week Frank takes us back to the days of old with Linotype's promotional pamphlets over the years.

Frank outlives the phonebook

Published December 1, 2010

Reading a recent study by analysts trying to study the data of the available pages for printing bothers Frank because they don't consider long run projects that won't go digital. This week Frank gives a eulogy for the imminent demise of the phonebook.

Frank at the Bootcamp for Print Designers

Published November 23, 2010

In this special episode of This Week with Frank Romano, Frank is at the Bootcamp for Print Designers. He surveys a group of print buyers in attendance about what's happening with print in their organizations and the trends they foresee. Happy Thanksgiving!

Frank's newest social media craze

Published November 17, 2010

This week Frank reveals a call to social media: FontFaceBook! NYC street signs and the Gap logo get fresh fonts and new looks, and what's the deal with all this Helvetica?

Frank takes a look at when the tipping point for digital printing may be

Published November 10, 2010

Digital Printing is decades away? Frank says it's almost here. He looks at a recent NPES publication that says the tipping point for digital printing is decades away.

Should Frank move to China?

Published November 3, 2010

This Week with Frank Romano welcomes a special guest to talk about the printing industry in China, where offset looms large, and digital is on the outside looking in. Join Frank and Joe Pasky in front of an antique printing press for a little Pacific rim rap.

Frank pumps some iron

Published October 27, 2010

What do paper, printing, and Star Trek have in common? Frank, of course! This Week, Frank talks about the TBD end of the New York Times print edition, the demise of another magazine's print edition, and the return by popular demand of the "What Is It?" segment, featuring large metal things. That are heavy.

The new world of print buying

Published October 22, 2010

For the majority of us lay people print buying seems like a trick for the anointed few who can piece together a much larger puzzle of production parts. Frank Romano looks at the new world of the print buyer, how it has changed, how they do their jobs, and where congregate to share their secrets.

Low returns on investment abound This Week With Frank

Published October 20, 2010

Email marketing versus printed mail - guess which one Frank likes. Data backs him up, too. Plus some love for franchising small print shops, and a look at a printing business model that one day Frank thinks will yield an industry-wide revenue of precisely $7.50.

Frank wonders what printer manufacturers will sell after print

Published October 13, 2010

Let's see...bottled water? Food? Frank wonders where the big printer companies might go after taking the print out of their bottom line. Plus another tour through more print that's going the way of the dodo. But take heart...all is not lost!!!

GraphExpo 2010 as Frank saw it

Published October 6, 2010

When you do ten presentations at a trade show, you get a feel for the thing. When you do 20, you're Frank. GraphExpo 2010 winds down, and Frank gives us his take. Bottom line - optimism is the word of the day.

Frank reminisces about typesetting

Published September 29, 2010

There used to be an entire industry dedicated to setting type. Frank used to go to their trade events, and stumbles upon a program from 1969. It jogs Frank's memory. Frank waxes philosophic. Just another week with the curmudgeon emeritus.

Join Frank on the train

Published September 22, 2010

Take a lovely scenic tour of the approach to the Rochester, NY train station. See the skyline, a lawn, a pole, even some cars. Plus an attempt by Frank to show us the old Eastman Kodak headquarters! It's a journey only Frank can take you on.

Frank's new iPad app - iGovernment (and other stories)

Published September 15, 2010

Frank discovers that Moses used a tablet, graphic design degrees don't pay, a city intends to save $18,000 on print, and a 105 year old antiquarian book store closes its doors.

Where has all the toxic waste gone?

Published September 10, 2010

Our increasingly ravenous hunger for new technology, ie. smart phones, flat screens, iPads, grows by the day. Frank Romano looks at the environmental cost of all this new stuff and considers how it compares to technologies of the past and the effect on the environment

Frank loves his cartoon but not so sure about phone books

Published September 8, 2010

This time Frank shows us another cartoon (been awhile huh?) this time about the demise of the phone book. Also coming up: Frank loves bad direct mail, Spider-man, and rants why off-shoring is a bad idea.

Frank dives into some fresh news

Published September 1, 2010

This week Frank takes us through another whirlwind round of news that fascinates Frank (and makes him a little reminiscent.) Knock-Knock wants to print your tweets, the last roll of Kodachrom, R.R. Donnely's research facility, AARP tells its readers how to "save" printer ink, Boing Boing's typographic mustache for the facial hair challenged, Boston garages use print so you don't lose your car in the parking sea all ahead.

Frank's Big Brother Advertising

Published August 25, 2010

This week, Frank brings us a recent news article featured in the Wall Street Times about Wal-Mart's plan to use Smart Tags (RFID) to track inventory. Smart Tags are an intriguing new venture for electronic printing but have some interesting privacy issues. Frank believes it will be the tipping point to bringing print back to its prominent days again when printing electronic tags and new aspects of direct advertising are the norm with Big Brother accuracy.

Frank's still at the Museum of Printing with another blast from printing's past

Published August 18, 2010

Frank continues to show us printing technology of the past at the Museum of Printing. This week we study the first photographic typesetting machine, a device as timeless as Frank himself.

Old media, new media, and now newer media

Published August 13, 2010

There’s a new report out predicting significant growth in US media and communications spending over the next four years. Is it time to start the presses running again? Frank Romano examines what impact new media is continuing to have on media budgets.

Frank goes to the museum of printing

Published August 11, 2010

This week Frank takes a trip to the museum of printing. In this video he talks to us about Gutenberg's Wooden Printing Press. Why you may ask? "Why not." Frank responds. An in depth overview of the wooden press, something almost as old as Frank.

Frank Romano - Coupon comparison, criticism, and curmudgeonism

Published August 4, 2010

This week Frank takes a look at the peculiar similarities (and minuscule differences) between the Rochester and Syracuse Sunday paper ad inserts. His findings will leave you shocked. But not really.

Frank's vice - collecting books about printing

Published July 28, 2010

Frank Romano confesses that he has a vice and that vice is collecting books associated with the print world. Frank scoured the globe looking for new and interesting gems and he wasn't disappointed. In this video Frank shares some of his favorites ranging from Victorian fiction to Korean printing.

Report from the future: The printer in 2020

Published July 23, 2010

None of us know what the future holds for the print industry, but Frank Romano looks into his crystal ball and sees a bright future for a trimmed down industry, run more by computers and technicians that printers, better integration between products and packaging, and a few other surprises.

Frank dives into some interesting news fresh from his trip

Published July 21, 2010

Now that Frank's back from his trip he doesn't waste any time and goes straight for some interesting news articles. Featured articles on China print, electronic reading study, New Jersey insurance agent license, and PGAMA's "Print Grows Trees" and Frank's spin on it all.

Frank Romano on the open sea

Published July 14, 2010

Frank interviews the lovely ladies that run the Queen Mary 2's print shop while at sea. A WhatTheyThink first! Rosemary and Kelly discuss what it is like to print on board a luxury cruise liner as well as some of the services guests can expect while on board.

Frank Romano shares Penrose's Pictorial Annual

Published July 7, 2010

This week, Frank shares a 1907 edition of Penrose's Pictorial Annual. The annual collected examples of print from a given year and bound it into a book giving a snapshot view of the printing technologies at the time. The books also included articles on the processes and different applications as well.

The end of an era, Louis Moyroud dies

Published July 1, 2010

Louis Moyroud just died. Doesn't ring a bell? He and Rene Higonet invented photographic typesetting. Oh, phototypesetting does not ring a bell either? From the 1950s to the 1990s, we set type using photographic techniques, exposing miles of photo-sensitive paper and film. The printing industry moved to CTP in the 1990s and digital printing in the 2000s, but the era of pre-press automation began with Louis and Rene. Rene died in 1983. Louis died on June 30 at the age of 95.

Frank Romano: Gutenberg was an idiot!

Published June 30, 2010

Frank explains why Johannes Gutenberg was an idiot (not what you think, of course) and gives us a history lesson on the 42 line Bible and shares all the intrigue a 15th century typesetting drama can muster.

Frank waxes philosophic about coffee cup holders

Published June 23, 2010

New things to print - Frank gets excited about coffee cup holders, canvass prints at Costco, cyber companies, big box wide format printing, and Grandma chatting via Skype...and spell check.

Viva direct mail!

Published June 18, 2010

Recent innovations in variable data printing have created huge opportunities in direct mail. Are you taking advantage of it? If not, Frank Romano lists a variety of reasons why you should be.

More hot metal with Frank - The Ludlow

Published June 16, 2010

Continuing a series on hot metal typesetting, Frank give us a tour of the Ludlow. Never heard of composing sticks? Plungers? Matrices and slugs? Join Frank as we create fonts from molten lead.

Frank takes us through a hot metal linotype machine

Published June 9, 2010

Molten lead, greasy fingers, clanging bits and pieces, gears turning...who doesn't like hot metal? Today, we visit the Museum of Printing to see a working hot metal linotype machine, which Frank expertly describes as a volunteer makes it sing.

Fun with pie charts - Frank gives big picture economics a try

Published June 2, 2010

What do the internet, the printing industry, and a chart hand drawn with magic markers have in common? Frank! This week, Frank gives his take on what happened to the printing industry since its peak in 1995, and how much further we have to go before reaching equilibrium.

How to kill inkjet

Published May 28, 2010

IPEX 2010 affirmed that inkjet is here to stay. The show is over but the memory lingers on. There are almost 300 roll-fed production inkjet printers sold or installed in the world. And Xerox validated inkjet by showing an inkjet technology. But we could see inkjet die very quickly if suppliers and users do not re-invent the way they do business. Here's how they might fail.

Print vs. Pixels: Frank and Richard go Romano-a-Romano

Published May 26, 2010

Frank and Richard Romano debate print vs. pixels at the Xerox Real Business Live stage at IPEX 2010. In a spirited contest they traded barbs and scurrilous polemics. In the end, the audience (not surprisingly) chose print!

Turning a corner? Takeaways from IPEX 2010

Published May 25, 2010

Guy Gecht at IPEX 2010

Published May 25, 2010

Zwang, Tribute, & the Romanos on the Least Interesting Thing at IPEX 2010

Published May 24, 2010

Frank Romano: The zen of trade show tchotchke

Published May 19, 2010

When you've gone to as many trade shows as Frank, all the tchotchke starts to pile up. Take a trip down trade show memory lane for a discussion of tin cans, writing implements, and all the various giveaways that make a trade show memorable - well, memorable to Frank, anyway.

Frank goes 1964 old school to talk printing industry education

Published May 12, 2010

In this week's visit with the curmudgeon emeritus, Frank finds an old brochure from a 1964 RIT summer program, gets misty eyed, and reminisces about the old days. Why 1964? Why Frank? Glad you asked! Find out as Frank discusses today's students, and how they are trained for work in the printing industry.

Students help predict the future

Published May 7, 2010

None of us know what the future holds. Frank Romano teaches a class in print media trends, and he asked his students to look into their crystal balls. Here's what they thought the future might hold.

This Week with Frank Romano: Print quality makes Frank speechless

Published May 5, 2010

Frank takes a close look at a new magazine called Vintage Magazine and reviews the print quality and uniqueness and he really likes what he sees. Frank also talks about the printer who produced it. Frank also looks at some entries into the TAGA Project. It's a passionate defense of the power of print!

This Week with Frank Romano: Print is dead. Long live print!

Published April 28, 2010

This week Frank reviews his mail and finds several postcards and direct mailers. Frank takes issue with an article that talks about the death of print, reviews a Pew study that finds the Internet growing as a source of news, and comments on digital coupons surpassing newspapers. Kids counterfeiting and Manhattan restaurants are among the other things Frank has to share this week.

This Week with Frank Romano: Praise for Kohl's, "super-graphic" lawsuits, on-demand printing, and NAPL's SOI

Published April 21, 2010

This week Frank covers a lot of ground with a great new Dov Isaacs cartoon, praise for Kohl's for combining print with email marketing, Facebook reducing printed yearbooks, on-demand printing, and Howie Fenton's NAPL SOI article.

This Week with Frank Romano: Frank reviews his mail to look at what's being printed

Published April 14, 2010

This week Frank reviews his mail to get an idea of what types of things are being printed (and mailed).

This Week with Frank Romano: Surveying the "Print Buyer" Landscape with PBI

Published April 7, 2010

This week Frank reviews survey data from Print Buyers International and learns not all are even called "print buyers"! They do "tweet", but some are unaware what variable data printing is. Frank learns this and more and shares it all in his own unique style.

VDP for you and me . . . finally

Published April 2, 2010

VDP volume is less than 10 percent of all digital printing and digital printing is less than 15 percent of all printing. The use of variable data (or document) printing has been retarded over the last decade by short-sighted suppliers, specifications, and associations. Now perhaps we are on the cusp of opening VDP to all users, big and small. ISO is about to release a worldwide standard for variable data exchange.

This Week with Frank Romano: "Sarc" marks and hand gesture electronics!

Published March 31, 2010

This week, Frank shares another great Dov Isaacs cartoon and comments on several items in the news. Among them are a new punctuation symbol called the "sarc" mark, a decline in magazine circulation, an effort in Virginia to stop printing amendments, electronics that obey hand gestures, and more!

This Week with Frank Romano: Live from a mountain top judging the Mohawk i-Tonies

Published March 24, 2010

Frank joins us from Mountain House somewhere in the Catskills where he's helping judge the Mohawk i-Tonies. The official announcement of award winners were announced at Dscoop and Frank shares them along with his unique commentary!

What do print buyers think?

Published March 19, 2010

This week Frank presents a review of responses to polls included with Margie Dana's Print Tips. These polls provide insight into print buying trends. Frank also includes one of his song parodies.

This Week with Frank Romano: Frank's shares his mail and invents the iPad!

Published March 17, 2010

Frank returns to his office at RIT and sorts through his mail and shares some with us. His commentary on direct mail, personalization, and innovative envelopes is - as usual - entertaining. Frank also shares the news that he, in fact, invented the iPad!

This Week with Frank Romano: Go where the printing is!

Published March 10, 2010

Frank begins a new series “Go where the printing is” to help identify printed products that are impervious to electronic substitution. He looks at a hotel rack with theme park and other brochures, travel information, and other printed items.

This Week with Frank Romano: Congressional printing and Newspapers versus Television

Published March 3, 2010

Frank shows a cartoon about visiting a bookstore to download an e-book file. He comments on Congress spending $97 million on printing and e-book happenings. Frank also talks about print outsourcing and Henry Ford and beautiful printing. He ends with a segment on newspapers vs television.

This Week with Frank Romano: 25 things that will become extinct

Published February 24, 2010

Frank comments on an article about the 25 things that will become extinct. Those that involve print include Yellow Pages, classified ads, handwritten notes, personal checks, news magazines, and, relatedly, the Post Office. They may not become extinct but they are be affected by new media.

The era of our ways

Published February 19, 2010

When Komori and Heidelberg drop out of a Graph Expo show, it portends seismic changes in the printing industry. But it is all part of 500+ years of changes. All things have a lifespan, whether they are living things, inanimate things, or even the universe (the ultimate collection of things). They start out as nothing, become something, and ultimately become nothing again. This pseudo-philosophical statement begins a discussion about technological change, a subject dear to all of our hearts.

This Week with Frank Romano: Paper tax taxes, water & sewer errors, and on-demand books

Published February 10, 2010

This week Frank shares another great Dov Isaacs cartoon and comments on several news snippets. Kansas paper tax return taxes, Pittsburgh water and sewer authority bill errors, and the Espresso Book Machine all make the list. Frank continues with more commentary on bookstore on-demand book printing.

The acronym that is improving graphic arts education

Published February 5, 2010

ACCGC. You never heard of it? Accrediting Council for Collegiate Graphic Communications. Doesn’t ring a bell? It is a group of dedicated graphic arts educators and industry suppliers who foster graphic arts education at the college level. Accreditation is how colleges and universities serve professions and industries—by making sure that educational curricula meet the needs of professions and industries.

This Week with Frank Romano: Averages, Amtrak, E&P's Demise, and E-books

Published January 27, 2010

Adobe, you're breaking my heart

Published January 22, 2010

Adobe Systems helped to build the modern printing industry and now, it appears, they are hellbent on destroying it -- not by willful action, but by neglect. Without the de facto standard of PostScript, digital printing could not have made the inroads it did; CTP would not have happened as we know it; and PDF would not have created the ability to move files around with ease, irrespective of device or resolution. They were active supporters of the printing industry and worked with print providers and users alike. But, today, Adobe appears to have written off print as it focuses on Flash and new media. Some say Adobe has given the printing industry the finger.

This Week with Frank Romano: Sherlock Holmes font mystery, Heidelberg and digital print

Published January 13, 2010

Frank returns for a new year with another great Dov Isaacs cartoon, talks fonts and the new Sherlock Holmes movie, and reviews the best and worst jobs in America. Frank also comments on news that Heidelberg is looking to partner in digital printing. Finally, Frank gives an exclusive peek at the new Apple tablet computer!

This Week with Frank Romano: Signing off with historic newspapers

Published December 16, 2009

This week Frank ends the year by sharing some historic newspapers in his personal collection, including The London Gazette from 1682, The Massachusetts Spy from 1790, and The Pennsylvania Gazette from 1801. Frank also shares his hope that newspapers survive in some form despite the changes taking place.

The Twelve Days of Printers’ Christmas

Published December 16, 2009

On the first day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
An ink cartridge in an HP.

On the second day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Two ruddle gloves,
And an ink cartridge in an HP.