Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

December Shipments: Ending 2019 on a High Note

Published February 14, 2020

The value of printing shipments for December 2019 was down from November—as we expected it would be—but not down as much as been the case in recent years. At $6.95 billion, December shipments were down from November’s $7.03 billion, but far above the depths of 2017 and 2018.

Around the Web: Cool Clipart. Book Bot. Artistic Appetizers. Calligraphic Collection. Lotsa Letters. Grotesque Garfield. Jurassic Driver.

Published February 14, 2020

Royalty-free illustrations from old books. A Japanese artist hand-draws every meal he eats. A new book teaches hand-lettering. An Ohio man receives 55,000 copies of the same letter from his daughter’s Student Loan Company. A reimagining (and improvement) of Garfield. Printed greeting cards are still in fashion. Making 3D printing resin from old fryer oil. Why are people getting worse at The Price Is Right? All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Screen Printing Establishments—2017

Published February 7, 2020

The latest edition of County Business Patterns is out, which updates number of establishments and other data to 2017. In that year, there were 5,186 establishments in NAICS 323113 (Commercial Screen Printing). The majority of these establishments (74%) had fewer than 10 employees.

Around the Web: Printing Parkinson’s. Shedding Sheep. Shark Suit. Bartending ’Bots. Scorigami! Publishing Palaces. Canine Cans. Hog Hearses. Daliwood. Mobile Men’s Room. Junk Jam.

Published February 7, 2020

A new typeface raises awareness of, and helps fund a cure for, Parkinson’s Disease. Pineapple wool aims to replace sheep. A shark-proof wetsuit. Dye-sub transfer for non-polyester fibers. Japan experiments with robot bartenders. Private equity tries to acquire .org domain registry. Scorigami tracks rare football scores. Former newspaper headquarters have become luxury apartments. A Florida brewery puts pictures of adoptable rescue dogs on beer cans—and one woman finds her lost dog. Motorcycle hearses for uneasy riders. Salvador Dalí and Walt Disney once collaborated on an animated short film. “Uber for lavatories.” Faking a traffic jam on Google Maps. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

For FASTSIGNS of Maumee & Toledo, OH, Business Is a Family Affair

Published February 5, 2020

Karrie Brock, Owner of FASTSIGNS of Maumee & Toledo, OH, talks with Kelley Holmes about her business, which was converted to a FASTSIGNS franchise 10 years ago. She opened a second location in Maumee four years ago. Her husband Randy joined the team just prior to the conversion, and handles the back-of-the-house production, installation, and fabrication management while Karrie the “front of the house” operations.

Graphic Arts Employment—December 2019

Published January 31, 2020

In December 2019, overall printing employment dropped -0.2% from November, and on a year-over-year basis, it is down -2.4%. Production employment was down -0.5% from November to December (and -4.4% Y/Y) while non-production employment was down -0.1% from November to December—but actually up +1.7% Y/Y.

Around the Web: Sustainable Straws. Mobile Meetings. Floating Fashion. Classic Critique. Latest Lenses. Fractious Footwear. Cleaver Calming,

Published January 31, 2020

The growing market for paper straws. A slow elevator designed for fast meetings. A paperboy helps save a restaurant from fire. A balloon-based fashion collection. A new book collects old airline maps. Another new book collects photographs of famous economists. Which classic novels are the most-loved—and most-hated? Contact lens-based displays. Are new running shoes “technological doping”? Merit badges for—oy—“adulting.” Three words: “meat cleaver massage.” All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Putting a Professional Face on a Sign Business

Published January 29, 2020

Mathew Feil, Owner of FASTSIGNS Lawton, OK, talks about having converted his five-year-old sign company to a FASTSIGNS franchise and how a more professional face on his business has made it easier to to sell jobs. He also cites the technical, sales, and marketing resources that are available from FASTSIGNS corporate, as well as events such as the FASTSIGNS Conference.

Helping FASTSIGNS Move Into New Geographic Areas

Published January 28, 2020

Greg Carafello, NYC Area Development–FASTSIGNS, talks to Kelley Holmes about his role as a certified franchise executive, and how he helps companies like FASTSIGNS move into new geographies and attract franchise candidates. He also talks about the advantages of converting a print business to a FASTSIGNS franchise.

Commercial Printing Establishments—2017

Published January 24, 2020

The latest edition of County Business Patterns is out, which updates the number of establishments and other data. In 2017, there were 25,256 establishments in NAICS 323 (Printing and Related Support Activities). The majority of these establishments (71%) have fewer than 10 employees.

Around the Web: Lavatory Literature. Modulated Mummy. Ubiquitous Unicorns. Streaming Salvos. Tiny Type. Cranium Confusion. Forensic Flipping. Pigeon Parade.

Published January 24, 2020

“Facility” is a new print magazine all about bathrooms. Giving voice to a 3,000-year-old mummy. Op-eds from the future. The opening salvos in the streaming wars. Stores are compensating for poor packaging design choices. Dante’s Inferno for language pedants. The battle over a cryonically frozen head. A home renovation show that remodels crime scenes. A concerto for orchestra and typewriter. The Nevada Avian Milliner is back. Also: Robopigeon! Hide the statues! All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Paper Handling Solutions Identifies Customer Needs

Published January 21, 2020

Kris Oosterling of Paper Handling Solutions talks to Kelley Holmes about the evolution of the company, from what had been a traditional finishing equipment dealer to a more consultative solutions provider, helping customers navigate changes in the printing landscape.

Get It Now Print Streamlines Its Workflow

Published January 20, 2020

From 20 jobs per day to 100, Get It Now Print has increased production and their customer base with the help of EFI’s Fiery Workflow solution. Simple, efficient, and agile, Fiery automation can help your print business get more work out the door.

November Printing Shipments: Off for the Holidays

Published January 17, 2020

The value of printing shipments for November 2019 was $7.03 billion—a pretty big drop from October’s $7.65 billion, but we kind of expected it, as November and December see business slow down for the holidays.

Around the Web: Fabricating Food. Smart Sweats. Clever Kicks. Receipt Wrap. Slaking Slack. Erroneous Ebooks. Mellotron Music Musing.

Published January 17, 2020

3D-printed candy. Rechargeable workout clothes. Smart sneakers can improve your running form. A knitted scarf based on a CVS receipt. Living concrete. A new, more accurate typewriter font, for some reason. How Slack has ruined work. Library ebook provider Overdrive acquired by private equity firm. Why was there no ebook revolution in the 2010s? “The” most powerful word in the English language. A journey inside the Mellotron, one of the weirdest musical instruments. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Establishment Births/Deaths: Industry Attrition Continues to Slow

Published January 10, 2020

From 2015 to 2016, there had been an increase of 1,586 establishments, but a decrease of -1,881 establishments, for a net loss of -295 establishments. That’s a smaller percentage change than previous years, which reflects somewhat of a deceleration in industry consolidation.

Around the Web: Fur Fracas. Delivery Droid. Seen at CES. Audi’s Interior. Enhanced E Ink. Scrappy Scrabble. Bloody Billboard. Bivalve Boogie. Crazy Cats.

Published January 10, 2020

NYC’s proposed ban on fur (for fashion) causes a kerfuffle. A wearable plant vest that is...er, self-watering. A bipedal delivery robot is now for sale. Japan recycles cardboard to use as beds for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics competitors. A roundup of “highlights” from this week’s Consumer Electronics Show. “Charmin looks to disrupt the toilet experience with new technologies.” An inflatable pub for grown-up parties. At last: a color E Ink display. A deep dive into the history of the board game Scrabble—and the small Vermont town that used to manufacture all the letter tiles. A brilliant billboard advertising the new “Dracula” series. Two words: “disco clam.” Pro tip: don’t see the new “Cats” while tripping on LSD. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

ColorKarma: Making it Easier for Designers and Producers to Communicate

Published January 7, 2020

Shoshana Burgett discusses why she founded ColorKarma: to help improve communications between designers and producers, who often speak different "languages." She also aims to make it easier for designers to connect with producers across a wide range of physical product types.

The Next Chapter in the Printing Profits “Tale of Two Cities”

Published December 20, 2019

Industry profits data for the third quarter of 2019 were down from $3.05 billion in Q2 to $2.65 billion. Large printers continue to be the trouble spot.

Around the Web: Decade Dilemmas. Fiber Fallout. Paper Packing. Tentacle Trouble. Nifty Notebooks. Clever Keyboard. Helping Hive.

Published December 20, 2019

What are technology’s biggest challenges for the next decade? What are the top emerging technologies? Are natural fibers better for the environment than artificial fibers? Paper-based alternative to Bubble Wrap. The eternal struggle: eagle vs. octopus. For sale: Alaskan newspaper. Cost: $0. A teenager installs a 1,500-pound mainframe computer in his parents’ basement. A portable roll-up keyboard for smartphones and tablets. The rebirth of cursive writing? Bees as service animals. Rejoice: Gary Larson’s “The Far Side” is now online! All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

The Smart Factory Comes to Australia’s CMYKhub

Published December 17, 2019

Dayne Nankervis of Australian trade printer CMYKhub talks about the company's automation efforts, and how it is helping address the challenge of finding qualified staff. Ease-of-use allows staff to operate multiple machines, and gain new skills as they move around the company.

Around the Web: Gaga for Graphene! Vexing Valuation. DNA Data. Explaining Ecommerce. Sham Shipping. Stalking Signage. Mysterious Millinery.

Published December 13, 2019

A graphene jacket. A costly typo in Utah. Merriam Webster’s Word of the Year. The DNA of things”—creating materials with built-in memory. Intricate paper sculptures of microorganisms. Free shipping isn’t always free. User-tracking billboards—and with whom they share data. Who is putting hats on Las Vegas pigeons? KFC’s chicken-scented yule log. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

October Printing Shipments: Raise a Glass of Holiday Cheer

Published December 13, 2019

The value of printing shipments for October 2019 was $7.65 billion—a pretty big jump from September’s $7.14 billion. October has become the biggest month of the year, and this is the best October the industry has had since 2016.

The “Orders of One” Industry

Published December 10, 2019

Julian Marsh, Digital Print Expert, talks about the latest challenges facing digital book printers. Customers want highly customized and complex books with faster turnaround than ever—the “Amazon effect.” At the same time, book printers are facing a skills shortage. Enter automation and the smart factory approach to book manufacturing.

Around the Web: Crafty Carlsberg. Couture Clash. Fatal Fashion. Local Losses. Sham Shipments. Brainy Brush. Cuneiform Cookies. Purring Professors.

Published December 6, 2019

Carlsberg Group replaces plastic ring carriers and shrinkwrapping with innovative adhesive dots. The environmental toll of haute couture. A textile-based horror movie. The death of local news. An interactive look at the graphic design and development of New York City’s subway map. An AI system attempts to write about printing shipments. “A fitness tracker for your mouth.” A new look at Marco Polo’s last year in Venice. A Welsh password generator. Cats teaching economics. A $1 hotel room—exhibitionists preferred. A smoke-breathing Godzilla Christmas tree. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly, Baby Yoda-free miscellany.

First Look: Industry Business Conditions 2019

Published December 6, 2019

Preliminary results from our 2019 Business Outlook Survey show that one-fourth (24%) of survey respondents reported that, compared to 2018, revenues for 2019 were up more than 10%. That’s the highest this has been since we started our annual survey in 2015. Elsewhere, though, things are a bit more muted.

Bookmasters Brings the Smart Factory to Book Production

Published December 3, 2019

Brad Sharp, Director of Manufacturing for Bookmasters, talks about the company’s implementation of the “smart factory,” not only in the front end, but also in printing and finishing, leveraging automation to tie together as many work centers as they can for short-run, on-demand book production.

October Jobs: Production Down, Managerial Up

Published November 22, 2019

In October, overall printing employment dropped -0.3% from September. On a year-over-year basis, though, it was down -2.4%. Production employment was down -0.7% from September to October, but year-over-year was down -4.8%. On the other hand, non-production employment was up +0.7% from September to October, and year-over-year was up +2.9%.

Around the Web: Publishers’ Peril? Gargantuan Gannett. Assessing AR. Female Pirate Printer. Festive Footwear. Shirt Supreme. Goofy Gravy.

Published November 22, 2019

What happens when a print publication goes all-digital? Has Apple News Plus cannibalized publications’ own digital efforts? Gannett and GateHouse to merge and create the biggest newspaper publisher in the US. What is in store for AR in 2020? Well, not Apple Glasses. Manhole cover-based art. Painting on Vans loafers. Hacking into pet dishes? A unique way to drug your Thanksgiving guests. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Christine Erna on Intelligent Mail

Published November 20, 2019

Christine Erna of Strategic Postal Advisors provides some updates on the mailing industry, specifically "full-service intelligent mail." Intelligent mail offers mailers many benefits, such as address change services, secure destruction, and informed visibility data, although many mailers may not be aware how to take advantage of it.

Canon’s Versatile imagePRESS Technology

Published November 19, 2019

Canon USA’s Matthew Poliniak talks about the company’s imagePRESS technology—specifically the imagePRESS C10000VP and C910 Color Digital Presses—and the wide range of applications imagePRESS technology can produce, achieving the same high quality on uncoated and coated stock, as well as textured and other specialty substrates.

Xanté Introduces InfoMark, an Alternative to QR Codes

Published November 19, 2019

Robert Ross, CEO of Xanté, introduces InfoMark, a simple four-digit alphanumeric code designed to replace the QR code. InfoMark gives publishers, designers, packagers, and others a simple digital link to quickly access audio, video, PDF, and any other digital content from a printed piece using a desktop computer, smartphone, or tablet.

Software Binds Together All the Elements of an Automated Workflow

Published November 19, 2019

Ray Duval of Ultimate TechnoGraphics talks about the concept of the “smart factory,” how virtually any print process can be automated, and how software is the glue that holds together all the different parts of the automated workflow.

With the Ricoh TF6250, It’s a Whole New Ballgame for MAC Specialties

Published November 18, 2019

Mark Cohen, President of MAC Specialties, talks about the wide-format and specialty printing services his company offers, and explains how they produce custom cellphone stands. MAC Specialties recently installed a Ricoh TF6250 UV LED Flatbed Printer which allows them to print on materials other than flat sheets or boards—such as foam footballs.

Paperboard Container Manufacturing Establishments—2016

Published November 15, 2019

In 2016, there were 1,971 establishments in NAICS 32221 (Paperboard Container Manufacturing). One-half of these establishments have 50 or more employees, and three-fourths have 20 or more employees.

Around the Web: Looming Automation. Tough Lung Love. Fantasy Fabric. Sea Silk. Tangled Tapes. Cochlear Craziness. Olivetti Oddity. Missing Millennials. Canine Conversation.

Published November 15, 2019

An automated digital weaving loom. Hemp cigarettes are apparently a thing. A hat made of silk from mollusks goes up for auction. The Zagat Guide is back in print. Cassette tapes are coming back into fashion, for some reason. Send your ear data to Sony, for some reason. The bizarre tale behind the first desktop computer. Is online advertising the new dot-com bubble? There’s no such thing as a Millennial—or even a Boomer. Salvador Dalí’s Tarot deck. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Teaching Millennial Marketers About Direct Mail

Published November 14, 2019

Jeana Garms, VP of Marketing for SG360°, talks about her experiences as a Millennial working for a direct mail company. Her age cohort tends to think in terms of digital media first, so she finds that marketers who entered the workforce in the last 10 years need a lot of education about print direct mail.

Finishing Automation is Becoming a Critical Investment

Published November 14, 2019

Bob Flinn from Standard Finishing talks about why, with the current labor market, investment in automation within binding and finishing is imperative.

Horizon International Introduces IoT Capabilities in its Finishing System

Published November 13, 2019

Yoshihiro Oe, General Manager at Horizon International Inc., talks about the "ICE Concept" that Horizon International introduced at the Think Smart Factory event. The concept brings Internet of Things (IoT) interconnection to finishing equipment to provide real-time data analytics, predictive maintenance, remote service, and support. Horizon is collaborating with customers to determine which type of IoT functionality is most useful within an automated print factory.

Transformation and Transition at Kodak

Published November 12, 2019

Patti Smith, VP, WW Business Development & Marketing, Digital Inkjet Printing, for Kodak, talks to David Zwang about the latest developments at Kodak, the company's new CEO Jim Continenza, and the renewed emphasis on understanding—and replicating—the transitions customers are undergoing.

Think Smart Finishing Showcases Automated Print Production

Published November 12, 2019

2019 Think Smart Finishing, organized by Horizon International, showcases automated print production from order to finished product. WhatTheyThink spoke to Yasuo Taketsugu of Horizon International about bringing 14 industry partners together across software, print, and finishing to show a fully integrated print environment.

Tri-Win Direct Wins with Continuous-Feed Inkjet from Ricoh

Published November 11, 2019

Andy Chagan of Tri-Win Direct talks about the direct mail company's humble beginnings in a second-floor apartment and now, 22 years later, mails 350-400 million pieces a year. The company uses predominantly Ricoh equipment and, in 2015, the company transitioned from cut-sheet to continuous-feed, and the Ricoh VC60000 was a game-changer.

No Fall for Printing Shipments

Published November 8, 2019

Heading into Fall 2019, the value of printing shipments for September 2019 was $7.14 billion—up from August’s $7.10 billion. It’s not a huge rise, but given that for the last few years September shipments declined from August’s, we’ll take it.

Around the Web: Talking Twistronics. Smartphone Subscriptions. Magenta Monopoly. Sadistic Stacks. Elusive Ebooks. Sumerian Stew. Banishing Blind Spots. No Mo’ Mona. Dean of the Dead.

Published November 8, 2019

Researchers turn graphene into a superconductor. Are subscriptions next for the iPhone? Deutsche Telekom claims to own the color magenta. An old sewing machine repair shop accidentally became a New York museum. Queens’ new library is all but inaccessible if you’re not an elite athlete. Culinary archaeologists recreate ancient recipes. A 14-year-old inventor solves the problem of cars’ blind spots. “Take down the Mona Lisa!” James Dean to star in a new movie, for some reason. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Koenig & Bauer Looks Ahead to drupa 2020

Published November 5, 2019

Koenig & Bauer’s Mark Hischar previews what Koenig & Bauer will be showing at next year’s drupa 2020. The company will have two booths in Dusseldorf to showcase how the company has grown and the new technologies and product lines they have been developing.

EFI’s Jeff White Talks Workflow

Published November 4, 2019

EFI’s Jeff White talks to Kelley Holmes about the importance of workflow tools to make print businesses more efficient, and discusses EFI’s MIS and workflow solutions for commercial print providers, mailing operations, and superwide format printers.

Dave Fellman on Driving the Sales Cycle

Published November 4, 2019

Longtime Printing News contributor Dave Fellman talks to Kelley Holmes about driving the sales cycle: prospecting, quoting, and taking the first few orders. It’s a rule of thumb that you’ll lose about 10% of your customers each year, so to grow, you need to add 12–20% new customers.

Paper Bag and Coated and Treated Paper Manufacturing—2010–2016

Published November 1, 2019

In 2010, there were 825 establishments in NAICS 32222 (Paper Bag and Coated and Treated Paper Manufacturing). By 2016, that number had declined for a net loss of -12% to 730.

Around the Web: Terrifying Typeface. Edgy Analytics. Green Garments. Techy Teens. Expensive Eagles. Grotty Gifts. Candy Crushes.

Published November 1, 2019

Hellvetica unleashed. The edge will transform sporting events—and perhaps everything else. Apps for recycling used clothing. A study of mobile technology use by today’s tweens and tweens. Where eagles dare, roaming charges follow. Gift recipients may like poorly wrapped presents better. A hierarchy of candy. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Adding Value to the Industry—and Print Customers

Published November 1, 2019

Kelley Holmes talks to Thayer Long, President of APTech, about some of the strategies and initiatives that APTech is pursuing to help add more value to the industry—and help print providers add more value to their customers—as the print industry goes through major changes.

RMGT: Alone with the Crowd

Published October 31, 2019

Chris Manley, President of Graphco, talks to Kelley Holmes at PRINTING United about how RMGT has the only offset press on the show floor—and that demos have drawn standing-room-only crowds.

Previewing drupa 2020

Published October 30, 2019

drupa’s Sabine Geldermann previews some of the highlights visitors can expect at next June’s drupa 2020, and some of the event’s new innovation partners. In the drupa cube, bestselling author Michael Gale, author of “The Digital Helix,” will talk about the digital transformations in other industries and how they apply to the printing industry.

RISO's Color Printing at PRINTING United

Published October 29, 2019

Brianna Makarevich and David Erwin of RISO Inc. give a tour of the RISO booth at PRINTING United showcasing the variety of devices on display, including the FW Series, which includes a multifunction finisher; the GD Series, which features a Fiery RIP to provide greater color capabilities; and the new Valezus T2100, the latest entry in RISO’s portfolio of print production systems.

Hybrid Software on Packaging Prepress

Published October 29, 2019

Mike Rottenborn, President and CEO of Hybrid Software, talks about how prepress for packaging has changed over the years, and how Hybrid Software has developed prepress solutions for flexo, offset, digital, and hybrid packaging printing.

Meet the EFI BOLT Digital Textile Printer

Published October 28, 2019

EFI's Textile Product Manager Micol Gamba walks us through the capabilities of the EFI BOLT single-pass digital textile printer in this video sponsored by EFI. As the world's fastest digital textile printer running at up to 90 meters per minute, the EFI BOLT was shown running at the recent ITMA trade show in Barcelona and four units had already been sold at that time.

Jeff Jacobson and the EFI Ecosystem

Published October 28, 2019

Jeff Jacobson, new Executive Chairman and CEO of EFI, talks to Cary Sherburne about what attracted him to take on the leadership role at EFI, and the changes in store as EFI transforms from being a public company to a private company.

The View from the Other Side: Print Buyers’ Revenues

Published October 25, 2019

Publishing and advertising are among the biggest print-buying markets. Last month, the Census Bureau released its Quarterly Services Survey, which reported revenues for these markets. Publishers’ revenues continue their long decline, while the up-and-down of advertising revenues indicate the extent to which the nature of advertising is changing.

Around the Web: Graphene Has its Own Conference. Grin and Bear It. Write About Happiness. Where Have All the English Majors Gone? The Internet in 2030. Epic Flight. IKEA Tarot Cards.

Published October 25, 2019

The 14th Graphene Conference meets in Silicon Valley. Bear Naked and Sustainable Pouches. Using digitized books to gauge happiness. English majors are down 25%. What will the Internet look like in 10 years? What does 19 hours on a plane do to the human body? All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Keypoint Intelligence on Textiles

Published October 24, 2019

Keypoint Intelligence - InfoTrends’ Ron Gilboa talks about the different kinds of textile printing applications and how print service providers can add more value for their customers by getting into textile printing.

Scott Eganhouse Talks About TEC Mailing Solutions’ Strong Suits

Published October 22, 2019

Scott Eganhouse of TEC Mailing Solutions talks about the company’s cloud-based USPS-certified cloud solution for the address hygiene and mailing industry—and cloud-based dye-sub-printed trade show attire.

EFI’s Red Hot Fiery Technology at PRINT 19

Published October 22, 2019

Giselle del la Moriniere Product Marketing Manager in EFI’s Fiery Group talks about EFI’s Fiery partners, the Red Hot Technology Award-winning FreeForm Create software, and the integration of the Fiery digital front end with Duplo’s spot coater and slitter/cutter/creaser.

CJ Graphics Sweeps the Bennys

Published October 21, 2019

Jay Mandarino, President and CEO of Mississauga, Ontario’s CJ Graphics, talks about his company’s having won a record 22 “Benny” Awards, the most in the 71-year history of the PIA’s Premier Print Awards.

Paper Bag and Coated and Treated Paper Manufacturing Establishments—2016

Published October 18, 2019

In 2016, there were 730 establishments in NAICS 32222 (Paper Bag and Coated and Treated Paper Manufacturing). Nearly four out of 10 (39%) have 50 or more employees, and 59% have 20 or more employees.

Around the Web: Nano Novels. Ultra Ubik. Definitive Dracula. Arcade Arcana. Feline Festivity. Spotify Style. Tooth Tech.

Published October 18, 2019

Read classic books on the NYPL’s Instagram. Deluxe edition of a classic Philip K. Dick novel. A compendium of classic arcade typography. An immersive edition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. An Advent calendar for cats. Custom T-shirts based on Spotify data. The current science of CBD. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Automated Color Control for Legacy Offset Presses

Published October 18, 2019

John Sweeney of Lithec USA introduces the company, which has just launched in the US, and the LithoFlash, the only retrofit inline closed-loop color control system for legacy sheetfed offset presses.

Marco Boer: drupa 2020 Should Be Part of Your Trade Show Plans

Published October 16, 2019

Marco Boer from I.T. Strategies provides his perspective on why North American printing company executives should attend European trade shows and what to expect at the upcoming drupa 2020 event.

Kirk-Rudy Launches the Memjet-Powered FireJet 4C

Published October 15, 2019

Kirk-Rudy’s Bob Mills showcases the new FireJet 4C, a Memjet-powered four-color inkjet printing system that can print at 1600 x 1600 dpi at speeds up to 150 feet per minute. It uses pigment aqueous ink and is designed to cost-effectively print envelopes, bags, packages, napkins, and other items.

Hunkeler's New Flexible Stacker

Published October 14, 2019

Hunkeler’s Hans Gut talks about the products the company was demonstrating at PRINT 19, including the Red Hot Technology Award-winning Hunkeler LS8-30 Long Stacker, which is designed to cut and stack a wide variety of print products.

Graphco: “The Unfair Advantage”

Published October 14, 2019

Graphco’s Chris Manley talks about the technologies the company was demonstrating at PRINT 19, including its chemical embossing system for RMGT offset presses, Foliant laminating, and GEW LED UV technology.

Around the Web: Paper Back. Mechanical Paper. Graphene—Again! Gambling on RFID. Water Warning. Dog Talk. Real Robocop.

Published October 11, 2019

Mechanical paper sculptures. A book about Graphene. Did RFID playing cards help a poker champ cheat? LED-based art helps gauge NYC’s water quality. Tech is helping animals communicate better. Real-life Robocop is no hero. Scotch pods?! All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Printing Shipments: The Dog Days of Summer Didn’t Bite

Published October 11, 2019

The value of printing shipments for August 2019 was $7.1 billion—up from July’s $6.8 billion. As we head into the autumn, 2019 is shaping up to be the best year for the industry in three years.

Xanté launches their new full color specialty printing solution based on HP FI-1000

Published October 9, 2019

Mark Priede of Xante previews the new full-color specialty printing solution based on the HP FI-1000, which prints 170+ envelopes a minute and uses Xanté’s iQueue software, and discusses the benefits of partnering with HP.

HP SPS OEMs launch wide format, full color solutions for mail and specialty printing applications

Published October 9, 2019

Paul Barton from HP Specialty Printing Systems (SPS) talks about the SPS division and how it allows OEMs to leverage HP’s engineering and manufacturing scale to bring products to market. At PRINT 19, HP SPS introduced the Fixed Imager (FI) 1000, a print engine that allows boxes, bags, corrugated, and cardboard to be printed at the desktop level.

Printware announces their new full color mail solution based on HP FI-1000

Published October 9, 2019

Printware’s Tim Murphy talks about a new entry in the company’s iJetColor line of benchtop and industrial inkjet printing systems: the iJetColor Pro, a light industrial press based on the FI-1000 printhead technology from HP SPS, allowing customers to create short-run, personalized packaging.

Standard Finishing's Red Hot Technologies

Published October 8, 2019

Paul Steinke of Standard Finishing Systems showcases two Red Hot Technology Award-winning products Standard was demonstrating at last week’s PRINT 19: the Horizon VAC-L600H Air-Suction Collator and the Hunkeler LS8-30 Long Stacker.

Business Cards and Shoe Leather—Larry Vaughn Talks About His Memoir

Published October 7, 2019

Larry Vaughn of Thomas Printworks talks about his memoir “Business Cards and Shoe Leather: How Dyslexia Helped Me Found One of the World's Premier Business Cooperatives.” The book, published earlier this year, comprises stories culled from Larry’s 40+ years in the printing industry.

Koenig & Bauer Expands Into Corrugated

Published October 7, 2019

Kelley Holmes talks to Mark Hischar of Koenig & Bauer about the company’s expansion into virtually every printing technology and application, from commercial to all kinds of packaging—especially new forays into corrugated.

Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing Establishments—2010–2016

Published October 4, 2019

In 2010, there were 491 establishments in NAICS 322212 (Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing). By 2016, that number had declined for a net loss of -8% to 451.

Around the Web: Unmade Made. Bawdy Billboard. Brilliant Bins. Some Summoning. Autonomous Vehicle Repellent. “Spocking” Fivers. Escalator Etiquette. Scented Scissors?

Published October 4, 2019

Dennis Amorosano launches Dendog Strategy Insights. Avery Dennison and Unmade partner for apparel manufacturing. Hackers have an electronic billboard play porn. Getting a smart jacket to work properly. A smart trash bin takes itself to the curb. Tesla’s Smart Summon and the chaos that is the modern parking lot. Keeping robot cars away from bicyclists. The Bank of Canada finds “spocking” $5 bills to be highly illogical. Escalator etiquette is wrong. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Brand Print Americas to Launch in 2020

Published October 4, 2019

Thayer Long, President of APTech, talks to Kelley Holmes about APTech’s recent partnership with Tarsus and offers a preview of 2020’s inaugural Brand Print Americas, an event designed to offer business and brand owners the full range of print options when taking their product or services into the marketplace.

Color Learning Materials at a Black-and-White Price Point

Published October 3, 2019

Chuck Werninger, Senior Manager of IT Administrative Services at Houston Independent School District, talks about his adoption of a Canon Océ VarioPrint i300 inkjet press to improve the quality of educational materials for Houston ISD students.

Sun Solutions Quickly Gets Up to Speed on Inkjet

Published October 2, 2019

Bridget Fisher of Sun Solutions in Columbia, S.C., talks to Kelley Holmes about the company's inkjet journey. As a general commercial printer, Sun Solutions had been looking for a cut-sheet inkjet solution, and several months ago installed a Canon Océ VarioPrint i300. They were surprised by the kinds of applications they have been able to transition from offset to inkjet.

Intellus’ Inkjet Journey

Published October 1, 2019

Kelley Holmes talks to MJ Ortiz of Intellus, an omnichannel marketing company that has been growing rapidly over the past three years. When a flagship direct mail customer wanted to make the move to digital, Intellus acquired a Canon Océ VarioPrint i300 and transitioned them from offset to production inkjet.

Printing Shipments: Summer Surprise

Published September 27, 2019

The value of printing shipments for July 2019 was $6.8 billion—up from June’s $6.6 billion. Breaking with seasonality, what has typically been one of the lowest months of the year for printing shipments actually came in pretty good.

Around the Web: Go to Noto. Post-Modern English. Meddling Milton. More Moore. Dart DRM. All Over Alexa. Fancy Feast. Celery Salves. Robot Tuna. Minnow Message.

Published September 27, 2019

IKEA changes its typeface. An op-ed from the future comments on 23rd-century English. A scholar discovers a John Milton-annotated volume of Shakespeare. Animation compares Moore’s Law to actual CPU speeds. DRM for Nerf darts. “Highlights” from Amazon’s hardware announcements. Nestlé introduces $17 “luxury KitKat” bars. Celery juice: a magic cure-all? Sherwood Schwartz sticks it to Newton Minow. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Attracting Millennials to the Printing Industry

Published September 24, 2019

Jeana Garms of SG360 shares with Kelley Holmes some of the highlights of a panel discussion she moderated at the thINK Ahead Conference about some of the misconceptions about Millennials in the printing industry, and how to better attract them to print businesses.

Larry Vaughn on Where thINK Is Today

Published September 23, 2019

Kelley Holmes talks to thINK board member Larry Vaughn about how educational events like the thINK Ahead Conference pull together print business owners and employees to help them understand today’s print marketplace.

Corrugated and Solid Fiber Box Manufacturing Establishments—2010–2016

Published September 20, 2019

In 2010, there were 1,356 establishments in NAICS 322211 (Corrugated and Solid Fiber Box Manufacturing). By 2016, that number had declined -12% to 1,200.

Around the Web: Surf’s Up. Sonar Gloves. Wearable Chair. Cardiac Keister. Earthquake Bed. Self-Repairing Robots. Inadvisable Burger.

Published September 20, 2019

Graphene: is there anything it can’t do? Inside the University of Minnesota’s Wearable Technology Lab. Lose all shred of dignity with a wearable chair. Monitor your heart health with a smart toilet seat. The grueling, physically demanding world of...chess. “Hope you enjoy your stinking phones.” KFC’s Chicken and Donuts Sandwich. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Marco Boer on thINK Ahead 2019

Published September 19, 2019

Marco Boer from I.T. Strategies discusses the highlights from the thINK Ahead 2019 event. thINK is this user community of Canon Solutions America production inkjet customers, solution partners, and print industry experts. Marco also shares his perspective on user groups and vendor evenets versus general public trade shows and why both are important for the industry.

Industry Profits: Mind the Gap

Published September 13, 2019

Annualized profits for the second quarter of 2019 were down from $3.61 billion in Q1 to $3.05 billion. However, the gap between large and small printers has only narrowed very slightly.

Around the Web: Chameleonic Kicks. Twisted Twister. Fooling Facial Recognition. Plastic Priests. Kaput Cameras.

Published September 13, 2019

Sneakers that put on a light show. An inflatable Twister mat may be just what your next party needs. Adversarial fashion takes on face recognition systems. A.I. priests. A.I. passes an 8th-grade science test. An animation tracks the rise and fall of web browsers. Camera sales fall off a cliff. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Irvine, Calif.’s Sir Speedy Relies on Automation

Published September 9, 2019

Kelley Holmes talks to Kathy Morgan, President of Sir Speedy Printing & Signs in Irvine, Calif., about the changes she has seen in commercial printing over her 30+ years in the industry, such as the transition from offset to digital printing and an increased emphasis on automation.

Around the Web: AI vs. WTT Round 2. Temporary Text. Fast Food. Siri-ous Sneaker. Dim Bulbs. Forest Bathing. Plastic People. Erse Erudition.

Published September 6, 2019

Artificial intelligence attempts to write a wide-format story. “The World’s Most Dangerous Writing App.” Digital signage is too fast. Editor & Publisher sold. Nike’s Self-Lacing Sneakers. How to keep Slack from driving you crazy. All about “forest bathing.” Hide and seek in IKEA. Are we in a true “Age of Plastic”? A revised online dictionary of Medieval Irish. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

From the Classroom to the Pressroom

Published September 4, 2019

Kelley Holmes talks to Adam Pelzek of Pip Printing New England about his transition from teaching to the family printing business, founded by his father and uncle more than 40 years ago. He also shares his perspective on Millennials’ perceptions of print and the printing industry.

Printing Establishment Births and Deaths

Published August 30, 2019

From 2015 to 2016, there was an increase of +1,586 printing establishments and a decrease of -1,881 establishments, for a net loss of -295 establishments.

Around the Web: Fashion Pact. Bug Barrier. Book Sales. Caption Contretemps. Capital Ideas. AI vs. WTT. 80s iPhones. Elemental.

Published August 30, 2019

G7 takes on fashion sustainability. Graphene vs. mosquitoes. AAP’s latest book sales figures for January to June 2019. Is captioning audiobooks illegal? How to capitalize headlines. Can AI write for WhatTheyThink? What would a 1980s-era iPhone have looked like? Whither the Periodic Table? All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Thin LED Panels Are Good for Plastic or Fabric Signage

Published August 29, 2019

Aleksandr Karasyk, President of Elephant US, talks about the company's thin, double-sided, LED panels and its journey from the Ukraine to the U.S.

Around the Web: Bogus Books. Letterpress Lovecraft. Online Occultiana. Crazy Cards. Bothersome Billboards. Migrating Mattresses. Farewell, FogCam.

Published August 23, 2019

Amazon sells fake Orwell titles. An experiential letterpress-printed book inspired by H.P. Lovecraft. Amsterdam’s occult library digitizes its collection. Memorable baseball card photos. The Apple Card: Leave home without it? New York’s continued war on digital offshore billboards. “Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Is an Economic Indicator.” The longest-running webcam is going dark. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

For Pip Printing New England, Mailing Services Are on the Rise

Published August 20, 2019

Bob Pelzek, President of Pip Printing New England, talks about his 43 years in the business, and how he has navigated the industry’s changing trends. Lately, Pip Printing New England has branched into signage, and Pelzek comments on the rise, fall, and resurgence of the mailing services business.

Articles by WhatTheyThink