In Praise of Packaging Engineering, with Specimens that Speak for Themselves

Published May 19, 2015

In a package, you see the design, but you experience the engineering: the underlying combination of technical merits that make it practical to use as well as delightful to behold.

Why Can’t We All Be Employed by Employers Like Hammer Packaging ?

Published May 14, 2015

Rochester, NY, is distinguished for many things connected to the printing industry. Hammer Packaging is keeping that tradition alive in an exceptionally employee-friendly way.

Eeewww or Edible? Nanoscience May Have an Answer for Food Packaging

Published May 12, 2015

Deciding when packaged food has gone bad is a tough call that we often get wrong. At MIT, they’ve come up with a guesswork-eliminating solution.

With Flexcel NX, Kodak Promises to Break New Ground in Flexo Print Quality and Efficiency

Published May 12, 2015

Can flexography do a better job with opaque whites, hard-to-hold details, and other hurdles for packaging printing with the process? Kodak says yes.

Read Any Good Books, etc., Lately?

Published May 7, 2015

The concept of what a “book” is means more than it used to—and not just because of the rise of e-reading devices.

PET Project: Label-less Labeling

Published May 4, 2015

Every beverage bottle must have a label to identify and brand the product—correct? Not necessarily, says the developer of a direct-printing alternative.

“R&D” on a Digital Press Takes Premier Markings to the Next Level in Label Production

Published April 28, 2015

Established seven years ago, this small but visionary shop is a case study in the rise of digital technologies in the label printing segment.

HP Aims to Disrupt 3D Printing with Inkjet Solution Now on Way to Market

Published April 27, 2015

By adding a third dimension to what it already knows about inkjet printing in two, HP hopes to develop the fastest and most capable 3D printing solution yet seen.

Garbage In, Garbage Out, Good Accomplished

Published April 22, 2015

How an earth-friendly cleaning products company called method scours the ocean for plastic waste it can recycle into material for new containers.

Sun Chemical Heads to INFO*FLEX with a Full Kit of Packaging Solutions

Published April 21, 2015

A vertically integrated ink manufacturer, Sun Chemical takes a concept-to-shelf approach to packaging with a broad range of products and services for printers and converters.

Smithers Pira Survey Measures Impact of Digital on In-Store Signage and PoP

Published April 20, 2015

Screen-based advertising technologies are gaining ground in outdoor locations, but the prospects for in-store digital media are less clear. New research aims to find out what they mean for conventionally produced store signage and PoP.

Not Sure How to Recycle That Package? Look at the Label

Published April 20, 2015

The How2Recycle Label is a much-needed visual cue in the right place at the right time.

What’s My Line? Some Labelers Say, “Linerless”

Published April 17, 2015

Eliminate the peel-away part of a pressure sensitive label while protecting it from the adhesive on the backs of the other labels it’s rolled or stacked with: it can be done and is being done in the solution known as linerless labeling.

Does the U.S. Postal Service Have an Unfair Economic Edge?

Published April 6, 2015

A new study contends that the U.S. Postal Service significantly understates the value of the economic advantages it enjoys as a government-mandated monopoly—advantages it can and does leverage in the markets where it competes with private services.

“Dear Packaging, I Hate You”

Published April 6, 2015

When designers forget that that the product experience, not the act of opening the package, is what consumers are paying for, things can get stressful.

Winston Packaging Moves Into Its Second Century With a Speed Record and a Winning Game Plan

Published March 31, 2015

This North Carolina packaging printing firm has earned its place in a demanding market through stringent quality control, smart technology investments, and ultra-efficient production workflows.

Taking A Look Back, and Ahead, at E-ink

Published March 27, 2015

E-ink may not have eclipsed conventional ink-on-paper publishing, but it is far from having run out of applications that showcase its unique capabilities.

Packaging Plants Are on the Rise

Published March 25, 2015

While we are waiting for flowers to bloom in the spring, we can admire the recent crop of plant openings or expansions in various segments of the packaging industry.

CRON-ECRM Joint Venture Declares Bid for Leadership in CTP

Published March 24, 2015

A Chinese computer-to-plate systems manufacturer and an American counterpart have joined forces to offer CTP devices that they say are as good as if not better than any other such solutions now on the market.

GASC’s Ralph Nappi on Moving Graph Expo to Orlando

Published March 20, 2015

On the face of it, all the GASC announcement says is that there will be a one-year detour to Orlando between now and 2017, when the Print show will have its prescheduled run at McCormick Place in Chicago. That’s also where we’ll be heading for Graph Expo this year—no change there, either. So, what’s the larger story?

A Dr. Joe Sighting on St. Patrick’s Day at CRON-ECRM Open House

Published March 19, 2015

He may or may not be Irish, but he leads the parade when it comes to straight-talking printers about their obstacles, options, and opportunities.

HP and KBA Take Aim at Corrugated Packaging Market with HP’s T1100 Simplex Color Inkjet Web Press

Published March 17, 2015

High, wide, and in its own way, handsome: that’s the kind of machine HP and KBA are out to build in HP’s T1100 Simplex Color Inkjet Web Press, a solution meant to introduce digital printing to top liners for corrugated packaging.

Sliding Back to 2008: a drupa Retrospective

Published March 13, 2015

An almost-discarded memory stick turns the clock back to 2008 and thoughts to what was important at drupa that year—and now.

Learning the Language of Labeling

Published March 12, 2015

The Constantia Flexibles Labels Division of Spear Inc. recently announced that it has found a way to make pressure sensitive labels compatible with recycling methods for bottles molded from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic. This is a breakthrough, says the company, because it offers an affordable and environmentally friendly solution for bring pressure sensitive labeling to the 400 billion PET bottles the world uses annually.

The Primacy of Process: an Interview with Heidelberg’s Jürgen Grimm

Published March 10, 2015

The most successful packaging printing companies that Jürgen Grimm has seen are the ones that have their processes most thoroughly under control. In this interview, the president of Heidelberg USA talks about how that control can be achieved.

“Boggs Bills” and the Power of Print in Your Pocket

Published March 9, 2015

Quick: what’s the one form of printed matter that most of us are likeliest to have in our possession at any given moment of the day?

PRIMIR Research Explores Tag & Label Printing Trends 2013-2018

Published March 3, 2015

Flexo claims almost two-thirds of tag & label market production, but some brand owners still view it negatively. By 2018, 50% of installed tag & label presses will be digital. There’s more—keep reading.

Is There a Case to Be Made for “CPOs”? Kodak Thinks So

Published February 27, 2015

By now, you may have heard about Kodak’s ChiefPackagingOfficer, a new online resource for packaging professionals. If you haven’t, its publisher, Joshua Fedeli, wants you to know why the portal is worth your time, attention, and participation.

IDEAlliance Makes A Little Knowledge “Just Enough”

Published February 25, 2015

IDEAlliance has a handy information resource it calls the Just Enough Video Knowledge Bank. It’s a visual glossary of print and publishing technology terms that offers exactly what the name says: “just enough” information about these topics to get a conversation started or to serve as a starting point for deeper research.

Regis Delmontagne Comments on Outlook for U.S. Shows

Published February 18, 2015

We heard from Regis Delmontagne in response to a post about the impact of the drupa decision on the timing and planning of U.S. printing trade shows operated by the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC). Delmontagne was president of the National Printing and Equipment Association (NPES), as it was called during his tenure, from 1976 to 2005. He also was president of GASC in the years when the Print and Graph Expo shows reached their peaks of attendance and exhibitor participation.

What’s New at “the New MBO” Packaging Production, Among Other Things

Published February 17, 2015

Say “MBO” to anyone in the industry, and the reply will be “folders.” That answer still passes the word association test, but it’s far from being the full story of what this diversified supplier of graphic equipment now has to offer printers and packagers.

Timing Change for drupa Flutters Pages of U.S. Trade Show Calendar

Published February 13, 2015

Like a pair of planets with intersecting orbits, the drupa and Print expos are going to cross paths on the calendar in 2025 and overlap in six additional years after that through the end of the century.

The Water “Bottle” You Can “Eat,” and Other Definition-Stretchers

Published February 12, 2015

What does a package do? It contains, protects, transports, and identifies what’s inside it. That’s the neat, four-cornered functional description of a package. Here are some edgier ones—and a couple that don’t have edges at all.

“Radius” of Label and Packaging Capability Grows Longer Within New EFI Enterprise Packaging Suite

Published February 10, 2015

Radius software for MIS/ERP has been at work in label and packaging printing plants for many years. Now part of EFI, Radius will significantly expand its toolkit within a new framework called EFI Enterprise Packaging Suite.

Heidelberg’s “Vision 2020” Hinges on Growth in Services and Consumables

Published February 3, 2015

When a business model needs reinvigorating, the first thing to do is to revisit the fundamentals. Heidelberg acknowledges this with “Vision 2020,” a strategic redirection that places new emphasis on the non-machinery parts of its portfolio.

What We Mean—and Don’t Mean—When We Say, “Sustainable”

Published February 3, 2015

Will it surprise anyone to learn that there’s no universally accepted definition of “sustainable packaging”? Probably not, but the extent of the confusion raises eyebrows all the same. Readers of Packaging Digest discovered this when they scanned the results of a recent survey by the magazine and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) into what’s standing between packagers and their desire to make their products more sustainable.

From Across the Atlantic, Lessons to Be Learned About Sustainable Packaging

Published January 27, 2015

A review of recent news about sustainable packaging initiatives in the U.K. and Europe raises confidence that global strategies for managing packaging’s impact on the environment can be developed.

AF&PA’s PaperRecycles.org Sends the Right Message the Right Way

Published January 27, 2015

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has done a nice job of consumer outreach with PaperRecycles.org, a new web site that aims at better educating the public about recovering paper and paper-based packaging for recycling.

Guinness record: World’s largest wad of paper!

Published January 21, 2015

We can’t improve upon a recent press release from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) about the creation of the world’s largest ball of paper—a stunt with an important point to make about recycling for packaging.

Pennsauken, NJ Printer Follows “Value Stream Map” to Packaging Success

Published January 20, 2015

At Contemporary Graphic Solutions, manufacturing efficiency and process improvements are 24/7 preoccupations, especially as they apply to the company’s demanding but rewarding packaging business.

Precision and Pride Drive Label Manufacturing at Mossberg & Company

Published January 13, 2015

Mossberg & Company, a commercial printer since 1930, has built an equally successful label printing business through judicious investments in technology and scrupulous attention to quality assurance.

Nous sommes CTD

Published January 12, 2015

In the midst of the grief and the loathing that last week’s terrorist attacks in France stirred in all of us, there was one small scrap of comfort that touched close to home: the fact that no innocent people were killed at the print shop where the Charlie Hebdo gunmen made their final stand.

2015 Should Be Chock-a-Block with Opportunity for Packagers, Market Watchers Say

Published January 8, 2015

The end of the year always brings a flurry of state-of-the-market reports from research organizations and commentators tracking the global packaging industry. Here are pulls from some of the year-end pronouncements for 2014 that we gathered last month. They tell us that despite the unpredictability that always has to be factored into forecasts like these, 2015 is shaping up to be a promising year for the world’s packaging printers and converters.

Solid Five-Year Outlook for Corrugated and Paper Boxes

Published December 10, 2014

There's encouraging news for producers of corrugated and paper boxes in a newly released research report which forecasts that demand for these products will increase 2.6% per year to $39.4 billion in 2018.

How Heidelberg Is Realigning Its Product Offerings to the New Realities of the Label and Packaging Market

Published December 9, 2014

Heidelberg's profile as an equipment manufacturer is not the same as it once was, but its interest in label and packaging production is as keen as ever. This report comes from a high-level briefing that WhatTheyThink received on the company's current ambitions in the L&P equipment market.

From Europe, a New Definition for Labeling

Published December 2, 2014

This summer, members of FINAT, the international trade association for self-adhesive labeling and related industries, met in Monte Carlo for an annual congress around the general theme of "The Battle for Shelf Appeal." What emerged were an updated redefinition of labeling and a frank reassessment of the role that labels play in a greatly altered selling environment for packaged goods of all kinds.

Memo to self: get all the *?@#! toothpaste out of the tube, or die trying

Published November 26, 2014

Did you know—well, heck, how could anybody know?—that some people are willing to injure themselves if that's what it will take to force the last drop of product out of a container? Or that consumers would rather go to the dentist than see product they've purchased go to waste in packages they can't empty completely?

Past Is Prologue: 150-Year History Spurs DWS Printing Associates to New Ambitions in Label Production

Published November 18, 2014

Continuous reinvestment and continuous reinvention sum up the strategic thinking at DWS Printing Associates, a Long Island label printing firm with deep roots in the past and a progressive view of the future.

And the Winner Is...the Package!

Published November 18, 2014

What lends itself more readily to creative competition than a well designed package? The packaging industry is full of contests that showcase the high degree of graphic innovation that can be found in packages of all types and materials. Here is a short list of some of the competitions that celebrated the art of packaging design in 2014.

Holiday Season Marketing and Packaging Trends

Published November 12, 2014

Can it be mid-November already, with preparations for the year-end holidays getting into full swing? Just ask International Paper. The Wall Street Journal recently quoted IP’s chief executive Mark S. Sutton as saying that box orders for the online retail segment have been up 15% year-over-year in 2014 and could continue rising, depending on demand. The story reports that the surge in demand for holiday packaging from both online and traditional retailers is helping to improve the performance of IP’s industrial packaging unit, which provides cardboard boxes, specialty packaging, retail displays, and paper bags.

New Survey Report Takes Fact-Based Look at Label & Packaging Market Realities

Published November 11, 2014

Filtering what we know from what we think we know about label and packaging market trends is the objective of “Emerging Technologies for Packaging Innovation,” a newly published report from GrCI Cal Poly and Packaging World.

The Beauty of Packaging

Published October 27, 2014

Sometimes, it’s good to step back from the speeds, feeds, and tech specs to reflect on the fact that packages and labels can be, well, downright beautiful. Eye-beguiling examples of the aesthetic gems that high-end production makes possible are all over the Internet.

Impact of the Internet on Print

Published October 21, 2014

Messe Düsseldorf, the organizer of the drupa trade fair, recently published a “drupa Global Insights Report” on the impact of the Internet on print. It’s based on responses to a survey from more than 1,000 senior decision-makers in the printing industry, including 240 who furnished personal examples of the impact in their own companies.

The Wrap: Label and Packaging Production Solutions at Graph Expo/CPP 2014 (Part 3)

Published October 21, 2014

Post-processing equipment and software solutions for labels and packaging were well represented at Graph Expo/CPP, which has come into its own as a showcase for these applications.

The Wrap: Label and Packaging Production Solutions at Graph Expo/CPP 2014 (Part 2)

Published October 14, 2014

The productive, colorful, versatile, and cost efficient digital systems for labels and packaging on display at Graph Expo 2014 will come to be seen as inevitable investments for every printing company that is serious about making it in the label and packaging business.

The Wrap: Label and Packaging Production Solutions at Graph Expo/CPP 2014 (Part 1)

Published October 7, 2014

Among printing systems for the quick, attractive, and cost efficient production of labels and packaging, none do it better than or nearly as often as offset and flexographic presses. Conventional label and packaging production was well represented at Graph Expo/CPP 2014.

MPS: A Multinational, Multi-Capable, and Multifaceted Packaging Producer

Published September 30, 2014

With a manufacturing footprint that spans more than 50 plants on three continents, Multi Packaging Solutions (MPS) stands at the crossroads of nearly every major market and technological trend in packaging production. In this interview, MPS’s Erin Willigan talks about what it takes for a diversified packaging company to remain a leader on a global scale.

Packagers Are Urged to Come to CPP Expo for the “Best Technology Investment Opportunities in Converting and Package Printing”

Published September 23, 2014

Co-located with Graph Expo, the CPP Expo for packaging specialists does full justice to the term “show within a show” by offering a rich mix of exhibits, educational sessions, and technology investment opportunities.

Flexo in the 21st Century

Published September 23, 2014

Brian Cook, Senior Applications Development Specialist at MacDermid Printing Solutions, talks to Pat Henry about what flexo is like in the 21st century.

How Metallic Effects Help Brands Stand Out in Packaging

Published September 22, 2014

Mark Geeves, Director of Sales and Marketing for Color Logic, talks to Pat Henry about why metallic effects are important in brand packaging. Mark also discusses the ways in which Color Logic makes metallic effects more productive and easier to implement.

“Virtuous and Healthy” Packaging

Published September 18, 2014

“Virtuous and healthy: those are the attributes of tomorrow’s packaging.” That proposition keynotes Packaging trends / The future of manufacturing, a white paper addressing the ethical as well as the technical mandates that packaging manufacturers must uphold in changing consumer cultures.

The Differences Between Commercial Finishing and Digital Finishing

Published September 17, 2014

Steve Bennett of Esko Graphics discusses digital finishing and the importance of recognizing the differences between commercial finishing and digital finishing.

Global Vision Protects Brands and Consumers with Package Printing Inspection

Published September 16, 2014

Rob Jennings, Account Executive at Global Vision, talks to Pat Henry about how their inspection systems help to keep packaging print accurate across multiple industries. They also discuss their new Proofware cloud-based brand packaging inspection suite.

GCS Sets Scholarship Record of $62,000 to Graphic Communication Students

Published September 15, 2014

David Luke, President of GCSF, and Pat Henry talk about the history of the organization and where things are today with their vision of consolidating scholarships through all-volunteer work without overhead costs.

CPG Companies Urged to Prepare for a “1-5-10” Digital Future

Published September 12, 2014

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies need to plan for a “1-5-10” market in the United States during the next five years, in which digital’s current 1 percent penetration will likely expand to 5 percent and could accelerate to as much as 10 percent in short order. The source is a new report, The Digital Future: A Game Plan for Consumer Packaged Goods, prepared for the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Google, and Information Resources, Inc. (IRI).

Esko's Brand Owner Program Helps Customers Improve Brand Positioning

Published September 10, 2014

Heidi Larson of Esko talks about their Brand Owner Program and how it helps their customers improve their packaging design and artwork management.

Growing Appreciation for Versatile Substrate Keeps the Pace Brisk at Axis Corrugated Container

Published September 9, 2014

Corrugated board meets a wide range of consumer and non-consumer packaging requirements. Customers who appreciate the full range of functional and creative possibilities with corrugated board are turning to Axis Corrugated Container for help in migrating their packages to the substrate.

The Current State of Process Automation in Print

Published September 8, 2014

Alex Hamilton, Director of Business Development at Enfocus, gives us some insight into the current state of process management and automation in the industry and the packaging segment specifically.

How Esko and Cape Systems Optimize Packaging for Palletization

Published September 3, 2014

Brad Leonard, Global Business Development - Cape at Esko, gets us up to speed on the Cape unit and gives Pat Henry a beginner's course on "palletization" and how Cape/Esko are able to help optimize the variables that go into it.

Continuing Innovation in Flexographic Printing at DuPont

Published September 2, 2014

Pat Henry talks to Cori Devlin, Technical Service Consultant at DuPont Packaging Graphics, about how flexography has changed for the better.

Esko Helps Solve Problems with Package Printing Workflows

Published August 27, 2014

Jan De Roeck, Director of Solutions Management at Esko, talks to Pat Henry about the common problems in packaging workflows and how Esko helps them solve them.

For Packagers, Some (Pet) Food for Thought

Published August 27, 2014

We Americans love our pets, and there’s no surer proof than the staggering sums we spend on feeding them. That spending drives a gravy train for packagers serving the pet food vertical.

Redefining Print: Joel Quadracci Discusses Quad/Graphics and the View from the Industry’s Front Ranks

Published August 25, 2014

At the recent PRIMEX East leadership conference by IDEAlliance, Quad/Graphics Chairman, President and CEO Joel Quadracci gave a keynote presentation in which he reviewed the state of the industry, discussed the impact of new technologies, and commented on Quad’s rise to the number two position among all U.S. printing firms.

"Mobile Activated Media" Combines Print and Mobile for Better Marketing

Published August 25, 2014

John Puterbaugh, EVP and Chief Digital Officer for Nellymoser, talks to Pat Henry about mobile media and mobile marketing. John explains a philosophy called "mobile activated media".

Consumers Say, “Nice Package,” but Only Up to a Point

Published August 20, 2014

If looks were everything, consumers would be over the moon about their packaging. According to packaging solutions provider MeadWestvaco, appearance is the one aspect of packages that consumers rate higher in performance than they do in importance. It's what prompts two-thirds of them to buy products off the shelf without knowing anything about them or doing any research into them.

Choosing “Commitment” as Its Brand Identity, Lofton Label Regroups and Succeeds

Published August 19, 2014

Lofton Label targets its vertical markets with care and serves its customers with scrupulous attention to detail. In this company profile, CEO Mike Lane talks about how he developed the objectives and implemented the strategy that turned the business around.

The Challenges of MIS for the Packaging Sector

Published August 19, 2014

Pat Henry talks to Wilhelm Welsch, Managing Director at The Quick Brown Fox, about the unique challenges for MIS in the packaging sector.

The Continued Success of EskoWorld

Published August 15, 2014

Pat Henry talks to Carsten Knudsen, CEO and President of Esko, and they talk about the success of EskoWorld 2014. The conference continues to grow and Knudsen discusses some of the reasons.

The Resilience of the Printed Magazine

Published August 11, 2014

At IDEAlliance PRIMEXEAST Pat Henry interviewed Malcolm Netburn, Chairman of CDS Global about the pressure magazines are under and why so many new magazines are started and why they are resilient.

EskoWorld 2014 Puts Spotlight on Branded Packaging

Published July 21, 2014

In one way or another, making packages better vehicles for brand communication underlay most of the presentations at EskoWorld 2014, a user conference that drew more than 700 people to Orlando. Esko also used the occasion to launch Suite 14, a software collection that aims to provide a common interface for all participants in the package creation workflow.

Inkjet’s Irresistible Rise Is Showcased at FESPA Digital 2014

Published June 13, 2014

Last month, being in touch with the latest developments in wide-format inkjet printing for graphic arts and industrial applications meant being at FESPA Digital, a European trade expo billing itself as the “largest focused digital print exhibition worldwide this year.”

In Europe, Canon Seeks the Spotlight with “Niagara” Inkjet Press and Other Product-Launch Announcements

Published June 3, 2014

Eager to promote the outcomes of its integration with Océ, Canon is making a concerted marketing effort to acquaint printers worldwide with the merged product lines and ongoing progress in R&D. Lately, Canon has been concentrating the effort in Europe, where it recently made a series of major announcements about new digital printing systems.

Heidelberg CEO Talks to Pat Henry about Digital

Published April 8, 2014

Dr. Gerold Linzbach, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of Heidelberg, talks to Pat Henry at the Digital Sneak Peek Event. They discuss the addition of digital to Heidelberg's product line up.

See Also: In a “Digital Sneak Peek,” Heidelberg Offers First Word on New Products and a Promise of a Changed Attitude

In a “Digital Sneak Peek,” Heidelberg Offers First Word on New Products and a Promise of a Changed Attitude

Published April 8, 2014

In announcing a new and in some ways strikingly different digital strategy, Heidelberg has acknowledged that it can no longer live by sheetfed sales and its own technologies alone.

DG3 Blasts Off into High-Volume Personalization with the Debut of Its HP T230 Color Inkjet Web Press

Published March 4, 2014

The installation lets customers add high-volume digital web printing to the array of services they buy from DG3, one of the top providers print and visual communication products in the Northeast.

Just Between Us: Peering into the Inner Workings of Peer Groups

Published February 24, 2014

Some printers draw their power from peer groups: small, private circles of owners who use candor and confidentiality to solve common problems and share models for business success.

NPOA: Newest Star in the Association Constellation Aims to Be the Brightest for Quick and Small Firms

Published February 14, 2014

For an organization that’s said to have come into existence almost by accident, the National Print Owners Association (NPOA) has traveled a remarkably long way in a surprisingly short time.

IDEAlliance, TAGA, and Their Quests to Make Sense of It All

Published February 7, 2014

IDEAlliance and TAGA are closest things that the industry has to “brain trusts”: trade associations that have taken upon themselves the daunting task of curating the industry’s practical intellectual capital.

Association Activism at the Grass Roots: PIAlliance, PGAMA, and PIASC

Published January 31, 2014

If all politics is local, the same is true of the work done by the printing industry’s regional trade associations. The executive directors of three PIA regional affiliates discuss how they bring grass-roots insight to the universal challenges of trade association management.

PIA and NAPL: Where They Are, and Where They Go from Here

Published January 21, 2014

Because they mirror the industry they serve, the printing industry’s two principal trade associations are seeing a picture they may sometimes have trouble recognizing. But, the groups say they have adapted to circumstances, learned from mistakes, and committed themselves to strategies for stability.

With the Ring of a Bell and a Self-Confident Flourish, Kodak Returns to the New York Stock Exchange

Published January 17, 2014

Kodak’s renewed self-confidence as a B2B company focused on imaging for business was on full display as the company grandly relisted its common stock at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on January 8.

Customized W2P: the New Ingredient for Success in M&As

Published November 25, 2013

Pinpointing the characteristics that make some printing companies more economically attractive than others is the short version of the mission of New Direction Partners (NDP), a consultancy specializing in mergers and acquisitions in the graphic communications industry. Some of these earmarks are classic indicators of the health of a business: cash flow, accounts receivable, EBITDA, and so on. Others, however, stem from emerging trends that NDP monitors as M&A influencers for the industry as a whole.

First Customer-Sited Demo Facility for Kodak Is a North Carolina Printing Company More than Worthy of the Distinction

Published November 11, 2013

When Walter Payne entered the printing business from another career, he knew he’d want to do more than printing. Today, his company is so multi-functional that Kodak is using part of the plant as a demo facility for some of its most advanced digital production technologies.

Dainippon Screen Joins the Push for What It Sees as the Irresistible Rise of Inkjet

Published October 28, 2013

Dainippon Screen wants to be a major part of the conversation about the rise of inkjet and the fall of old assumptions about print production. But, as inkjet comes to the fore, the conversation could get uncomfortably blunt for some.

Some Ways to Make Them Say, “I Didn’t Know They Could Do That with Print!”

Published September 19, 2013

Print has abundant possibilities as a creative medium—an attribute that deserves more attention from creatives than it sometimes gets.

In the Print M&A Marketplace, Amateurs and Generalists Need Not Apply

Published September 13, 2013

You’ve placed your company's future into the hands of a self-styled M&A adviser. But do you truly understand what your agent’s qualifications are and where the relationship is going to take you?

No Matter What Its Critics Say, Print Is Doing Just Fine, Thank You

Published September 10, 2013

Ah, the travails of traditional media. Who among us hasn’t stifled a groan, or at least a yawn, upon being reminded by the digerati that the path ahead for print leads nowhere else but down?

Determined to “Prosper” in Digital Print, AGS Turns to Kodak Inkjet Web Press

Published September 9, 2013

The centerpiece of digital production at AGS Print & Marketing Communications is an inkjet web press with a combination of capabilities that the president of the company calls “marketing’s Holy Grail” for print.

Kodak Proclaims, “We Are Ready” for Whatever Life after Chapter 11 May Bring

Published September 6, 2013

On Kodak’s first full day in business after emerging from bankruptcy, Antonio Perez, its chairman and CEO, detailed the company’s plans to rebuild its stature as a supplier of technology solutions in a narrower cross-section of markets than it once served.

Why Going It Alone in an M&A Can Mean Going Nowhere at All

Published August 5, 2013

Printers are self-reliant by nature. But, the pitfalls of selling a company or buying one without expert assistance should make even the most rugged individualist think twice.