Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

Summa Adds Innovative Laser Cutter for Textiles

Published May 21, 2019

Wim Maes, Executive Director at Summa, talks about the company's entry into textiles to address the bottleneck created in the cutting department as textile printers gain in speed. The company acquired CadCam Technology, resulting in the development of the Summa L3214, a 3.2-meter laser cutting device that cuts while the fabric feeds across the table, enabling cutting at 800 square meters per hour.

EFI Focused on Green Printing for Textiles

Published May 20, 2019

Adele Genoni, Vice President and General Manager of EFI Reggiani, talks with Senior Editor Cary Sherburne about EFI's sustainable approach to digital textile printing, from design through production and finishing, including two sustainable inks to cover virtually all fabric types.

Around the Web: Revised Receipts. Lost Libraries. Elusive Elements. Killer Conferences. Otic Apps. Flora Fluorescence.

Published May 17, 2019

Adding visual information to register receipts. 75 years of ISA. A recently discovered 500-year-old library catalog of lost books. Our dwindling helium supply. Does conference room air negatively affect decision-making? Plant-based lighting. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Frank Talks to Highcon's Christian Knapp

Published May 17, 2019

Frank caught up with Christian Knapp of Highcon at the recent Canadian Graphic Arts show. Highcon is a pioneer in automatic creasing and laser diecutting.

FESPA 2019 is All About Innovation

Published May 16, 2019

Mark Hanley of I.T. Strategies talks about the vibrant digital print market represented at FESPA 2019 in Münich, Germany.

Engineered Printing Solutions Covers Many Substrates

Published May 14, 2019

Julian Joffe, President of Engineered Printing Solutions, talks about the history of the company and their ability to print on a variety of surfaces.

HP's Smart Printing

Published May 13, 2019

Steve Newton, Software Solutions Manager for HP Large Format, talks with Kelley Holmes about HP's cloud-based "smart printing" for wide-format, facilitated through PrintOS, and introduces HP's Stitch for the dye-sublimation market.

EFI Checks All the Wide-Format Boxes

Published May 13, 2019

Ken Hanulec, VP of Marketing for EFI, talks about what customers are looking for in a wide-format printer: lower total cost, expansion of capabilities, and reliability.

Printing’s Labor's Lost?

Published May 10, 2019

Overall printing employment dropped -0.7% from March to April 2019 and on a year-over-year basis is down -2.9%. Production employment dropped a tad from March to April, and is down -4.5% from April 2018. Non-production employment was up +0.6% from April 2018 to April 2019.

Around the Web: Textile Reshoring. $50 Typo. Ad Nauseam. Beyond RGB? Salvador Dalí Meets the Marx Brothers. The World’s Smallest Post Service. Parrot-Based Marketing. Also: Hatebeak!

Published May 10, 2019

OnPoint named Alabama Manufacturer of the Year. New dress shirts. The origin of the word “dude.” A dark vision of the future of advertising. Will we ever be able to see more colors? The long lost Marx Brothers movie written by Salvador Dalí. Selling whisky with parrots. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

3M Introduces the Award-Winning Graphics Hub

Published May 9, 2019

Tammi Johnson, Business Development Manager for 3M, talks about the Graphics Hub, a software and website platform for sign and graphics manufacturers, which features a suite of tools including the Install Wizard, which won Business Services/Software Innovation Award at the ISA Sign Expo last month.

Ultimate TechnoGraphics Provides Software Solutions for a Variety of Workflows

Published May 9, 2019

Julie Watson, CEO of Ultimate TechnoGraphics, talks about the breadth of automated software solutions available as either standalone applications or integrated into a variety of third-party products and established workflows.

Convergence Connects Communities

Published May 8, 2019

Brandon Hensley, COO of the International Sign Association, and Joshua Carruth, Trade Show Director for Emerald Expositions, talk about how digital printing technology is driving convergence across wide-format, signage, and textile printing.

Carey Color on the Rebirth of Flexo

Published May 7, 2019

Ed Nicholson, Project Manager for Carey Color Inc., talks to David Zwang about what being a “color separator” means today, and how Carey Color serves as the middleman between ad agencies and printers. The company has also branched into flexographic platemaking—a venture that has taken off with flexo’s recent rebirth.

Save Money and Get Results by Managing Your Data

Published May 7, 2019

Christine Erna of Strategic Postal Advisors and Scott Eganhouse of TEC Mailing Solutions discuss the trends in the automation of workflow centered around transactional documentation and managing data from a centralized location.

Mactac Celebrates Its 60th Anniversary

Published May 6, 2019

Ross Burnham, Senior Marketing Manager for Mactac, talks about Mactac's 60th anniversary, and how Mactac materials are allowing owners of Canon Solutions America's Océ Colorado 1640 wide-format printer produce a wide variety of applications.

Production Inkjet Print Quality Continues to Improve

Published May 6, 2019

Ralf Schlozer, Director of Keypoint Intelligence-InfoTrends, discusses the trends he saw at Hunkeler Innovationdays, including print quality improvements in current production inkjet technologies.

Around the Web: From Tablets to Tablets. Quantophrenia. Smart Towels. The Pinkest Pink. Email Snail Mail. Oak Gall Ink.

Published May 3, 2019

A new history of writing exhibition. Towels that tell you when to wash them. Why the Red Cross loves Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five.” Send a physical letter...by email. Making ink from oak galls. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Print Business Challenges: Some Old Cares, Some New Concerns

Published May 3, 2019

In Winter 2018/2019, we conducted our annual Print Business Outlook Survey and found that the top challenges for print businesses included some new cares and concerns with some of the old challenges falling by the wayside. Could this reflect a “changing of the guard” of print business management?

Kodak Leaps Ahead in the Inkjet Flexible Packaging Market

Published May 2, 2019

Rick Mazur of Kodak's Enterprise Inkjet Division talks with Kelley Holmes about the technological breakthroughs Kodak and Uteco have made in inkjet flexible packaging printing. Although inkjet adoption in flexible packaging has been slow, Kodak sees tremendous interest and potential for growth.

Design Pool Is an Interior Design Resource

Published April 30, 2019

Kristen Dettoni, Founder of Design Pool, talks about the company's online library of designs, and how Design Pool is a kind of Shutterstock for the commercial and residential interior design industry.

ISA and Emerald Expositions Join Forces

Published April 29, 2019

Brandon Hensley, COO of the International Sign Association (ISA), and Joshua Carruth, Trade Show Director for Emerald Expositions, discuss their partnership with ISA and colocation in Orlando next year.

Sign Manufacturers—2010–2016

Published April 26, 2019

In 2016, there were 5,650 Sign Manufacturing establishments (NAICS 33995). The decline and rise of sign manufacturing over the course of the 2010s reflects the impact of the Great Recession, as well as the recovery and the growth of digital printing into traditional signmaking.

Around the Web: Offline Americans. Touring Greece. Loud Restaurants. Topical Typography.

Published April 26, 2019

10% of Americans do not use the Internet. The Comma Queen” tours Greece. The rise of the Post Office—and the decline of dueling. A new app measures the loudness of restaurants. The Presidential candidates’ typography. A requiem for the old Penn Station. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

ISA Joins Forces with Impressions Expo

Published April 26, 2019

In 2020, the ISA Sign Expo will colocate with Impressions Expo (formerly the Imprinted Sportswear Show). Lori Anderson, CEO and President of ISA, talks about the advantages of this colocation for both shows.

Customer Education is Integral to Visutech's Success

Published April 25, 2019

Pat McGrew interviews Jan-Olef Jungersten, CEO of Visutech Digital AB, about his print philosophy and the importance of customer education to create profit.

Catherine Monson: Sign Trends From Environmental Graphics To Dynamic Digital Signage.

Published April 25, 2019

FastSigns President Catherine Monson discusses trends in the sign industry from environmental graphics to dynamic digital signage.

Minimize Wasted Workflow Time to Save Money

Published April 24, 2019

David Spencer, President and CEO of SpencerMetrics, analyzes how people, machines, and workflow come together to identify and minimize wasted time to reduce costs.

Inkjet Evolves in Customization

Published April 24, 2019

Scott Leger and Gary Barnes of FUJIFILM discuss the shift from analog to inkjet technology for late-stage customization and the higher speed of variable print.

Metallizing and Other Industrial Printing Technologies

Published April 23, 2019

Rob Malay, Product Development Manager for VDI, was a keynote speaker at InPrint 2019. He talks to Kelley Holmes about metallizing, and VDI's converting of polymer webs, metal foils, and flexible glass substrates for printing industry applications.

February 2019 Printing Shipments: Starting the Year Off on the Right Foot

Published April 19, 2019

Printing shipments for February 2019 came in at $6.08 billion. In keeping with the industry’s seasonality, it’s down from January, but so far 2019 shipments are higher than 2018’s.

Around the Web: Mixed Reality Retailers. Heavy Metal Knitting. Recycled Sneakers. 3D Heart. Lego Printing Press. Changing Music Formats. A Netflix Magazine. Mad Libs Sci-Fi Plot Generator.

Published April 19, 2019

The first Heavy Metal Knitting World Championships. Running shoes that can be recycled. A 3D-printed human heart. Danger! Facebook is launching a voice assistant! Run! Cursive handwriting is coming back. Netflix is producing a magazine. “Balloon-related incidents.” All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Hunkeler AG Looks Ahead to drupa 2020

Published April 18, 2019

Hans Gut, VP of Marketing for Hunkeler AG, talks about the importance of drupa 2020 as a showcase for the industry, and Hunkeler's innovations in automation, workflow, and systems integration.

FASTSIGNS of Helena's Unique Showroom Honors the City's Rich History

Published April 17, 2019

Greg Painter, owner of FASTSIGNS of Helena (Mont.), takes us on a tour of his unconventional showroom complete with an upstairs diner and other iconic elements from Helen's storied past. All of it is designed to pay tribute to the history of the town and show customers many of the applications available.

Bluecrest Blends Production Print and Direct Mail

Published April 16, 2019

Kevin Marks, VP of Global Production Print for Bluecrest, talks about the company's involvement in production print and direct mail, as communication continues to change.

The Ecommerce Trend in Labels and Packaging

Published April 15, 2019

Dawn Olson of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S., helps customers who have invested in industrial print solutions profit from their investment as quickly as possible. She encourages those in the label and packaging world to take advantage of the opportunities in packaging for ecommerce.

From the Corporate World to FASTSIGNS

Published April 15, 2019

Div Bhingradia, owner of FASTSIGNS Mooresville (N.C.), left his corporate job to open his own sign shop and take advantage of the fast-growing North Carolina business environment. FASTSIGNS helped him navigate an industry with which he was unfamiliar.

Outdoor Advertising Establishments—2010–2016

Published April 12, 2019

In 2016, there were 2,556 establishments classified as Outdoor Advertising (NAICS 54185). In 2010, NAICS 54185 comprised 2,378 establishments—but note that the Census Bureau changed the name of this category in 2012.

Around the Web: Behind the Seams. Threading the Needle. Imaging the Unimagable. A Good Week for Type. Wikienigma. I, Author. Scamming the Scammer.

Published April 12, 2019

The current state of the US textile industry. Ironic commemorative stamps. Making a giant paper dragon. Photographing a black hole. A font of typography news. An encyclopedia of unknowns. Robot-penned books. A screenwriter toys with a Facebook Messenger scammer. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

InPrint 2019 is Off to the Races

Published April 11, 2019

Frazer Chesterman, co-founder of InPrint, talks with Kelley Holmes about this year's event, the move to Louisville, Ky., and what the future holds for the organization.

HP Builds on HDNA to Give Customers a More Diverse Platform

Published April 11, 2019

Carles Farre, Director of Commercial Business for PageWide Industrial at HP, talks about new features and capabilities that build on HP's High Definition Nozzle Architecture (HDNA) platform to give customers more productivity and versatility.

Steve Kouroupas Transitions from Commercial Printing to Signage

Published April 10, 2019

Steve Kouroupas, owner of FASTSIGNS of Greenville (N.C.), spent 10 years in the commercial printing industry and in 2016 looked into opening his own sign business by purchasing a FASTSIGNS franchise. He's found the sign business to be a "mashup of printing, graphics, and construction."

For IWCO Direct, Direct Mail is a Mix of Offset and Digital

Published April 9, 2019

Steve Myrvold, EVP of Operations for IWCO Direct, talks about the fully-integrated direct mail company and their mix of digital and offset equipment.

Business Conditions: Up in 2018, Optimism High for 2019

Published April 5, 2019

In Winter 2018/2019, we conducted our annual Print Business Outlook Survey and found that business in 2018 was perceived by survey respondents as overall pretty good: 42% said that revenues had increased by six percent or more compared to 2017.

Around the Web: iPhone Airbags (no, not the users). April Fool’s Folly. In Praise of Jet Lag. 3D Color Matching. Screen Sharing Horror Stories. No eBooks for You. One Ruler to Rule Them All.

Published April 5, 2019

April Fool’s Day: some cautionary tales. Pantone’s color matching for 3D printing. Be careful when you share your screen. Repossessing eBooks. Gin and tonic toothpaste. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Smooth Operators

Published April 5, 2019

Frank opines about printing press operators. The number of legacy presses has created a need for operators because they are all somewhat different and at any rate schools don't graduate operators of specific machines. Recognizing this problem, the state of Minnesota has created a grant program to help train press operators.

The WhatTheyThink Blooper Reel

Published April 1, 2019

It's April 1, and that can only mean one thing: the annual WhatTheyThink video blooper reel!

PR Establishments—2010–2016

Published March 29, 2019

In 2010, there were 8,219 establishments classified as PR Agencies. By 2016, there had been a net gain of +3.2%.

Around the Web: Inside the NYT Printing Plant. Semantic Satiation. NYC’s LED Barge. The Infinite CVS Receipt. Rebuild Your Business. Are App Users Happy? “Harvesting Garfields.”

Published March 29, 2019

“The craft, precision, and unexpected beauty of the newspaper printing process.” Rebirth of a paper mill. Keyless in New York. The 14th-Century Mappa Mundi. “Alien”: The Play. Garfield phones storm the beaches. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Frank On How to Get Rich Selling Printing

Published March 29, 2019

Frank found an archive of books on sales and marketing at CalPoly. He is surprised by how many there are and enumerates a few titles. He especially likes “How to Grow Rich Selling Printing.”

Ipskamp Printing B.V. Transitions to Digital

Published March 28, 2019

Bob Olde Hampsink, Director of Ipskamp Printing B.V., a book manufacturer in the Netherlands, talks about how the company has adapted over the years and switched to digital production as customers transition to smaller-quantity printing.

FASTSIGNS Dayton, Ohio: Never the Same Day Twice

Published March 27, 2019

Dayton, Ohio's Larry Miller converted his Ham Signs vehicle lettering and sign shop to a FASTSIGNS franchise in 2013. He talks with Kelley Holmes about his nearly three decades in the industry, the fun of running a FASTSIGNS franchise, and how they never have the same day twice.

Inkjet Closes the Gap with Offset

Published March 26, 2019

Martin Bailey, CTO of Global Graphics Software, discusses how far inkjet has come in catching up with offset production quality—and how much it still must improve.

Alaska's Interior Graphics and Printing Has Come a Long Way

Published March 25, 2019

Michelle Maynor, "Print-cess" at Interior Graphics and Printing in Fairbanks, Alaska, talks with Richard Romano at the NPOA Conference about the company's 70+-year history and how it has grown from business printing to adding wide-format and promotional graphics.

Printing Industry Profits: Urban Sprawl in the Tale of Two Cities

Published March 22, 2019

Overall, annualized printing industry profits for Q4 2018 were $3.66 billion—not a massive gain from Q3 but a gain nonetheless (we’ll take it). It also appears that the “tale of two cities” trend is—at least temporarily—on hold.

Around the Web: State Books. Speaking of Food. New Words in the OED. Gen Z and Sustainable Streetwear. “The Scream” Reconsidered. Lost in MySpace. In Praise of Newsletters.

Published March 22, 2019

Which book was the most popular in your state in 2018? Did early humans' dietary changes affect speech? What new words did the OED add to the English lexicon? How are Gen Zers’ sustainable buying preferences driving new apparel products? Is Munch’s “Scream” guy actually screaming? People still use MySpace? Have you heard Vienna’s Vegetable Orchestra? All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Sarah Barr Offers Advice to New Print Owners

Published March 21, 2019

Sarah Barr, Owner of Konhaus Print and Marketing, talks with Richard Romano at the National Print Owners Association (NPOA) Conference about navigating the world of print as a new owner, and how her company can help customers with marketing.

Xerox Updates Inkjet Lines; Offers Complete Workflow Solutions

Published March 19, 2019

Paul Morgavi, CTO of Ink Jet and Novel Printing for Xerox, discusses updates to the Trivor and Rialto lines of production inkjet presses, including increased productivity and enhanced image quality. Xerox provides an end-to-end solutions for customers through extended software, workflow, and printing system integration.

Charlene Sims Brings a Wealth of Experience to the NPOA Board

Published March 18, 2019

Charlene Sims, President of The Master's Press and new National Print Owners Association (NPOA) board member, talks about her 43-year print journey and her plans for leasing the NPOA into the future.

Matthew Romero Expands His Print Business with FASTSIGNS

Published March 18, 2019

Matthew Romero, a FASTSIGNS franchisee, has been in the printing industry his entire life. He opened a sign shop in 2015 and greatly expanded what he could offer by being part of the FASTSIGNS network. He also talks about a mural project he recently completed for a local high school.

Around the Web: Tome Readers. Apple iArmor? Laptop Typewriter. Tiny Tomes. Sappy Sentiment. Me+Moo.

Published March 15, 2019

Print books remain more popular than digital formats. Save the date: WTIN’s digital textile webinar. The first laptop typewriter. Why did people stop wearing hats? An exhibition of really tiny books. Unlucky in love? Try writing to a tree. (No, not D. Eadward Tree.) All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Advertising Agency Establishments—2010–2016

Published March 15, 2019

In 2010, there were 13,248 establishments classified as Advertising Agencies. By 2016, there had been a net gain of +1.0%, the ups and downs reflecting the changing role of the ad agency.

HP's Service Edge Helps the Customer

Published March 14, 2019

Pat McGrew, Inkjet Evangelist, talks with Sylvain Faligand of HP about the company's Service Edge platform. HP's Service Edge leverages the best of HP's prices and tools to help the customer grow, be efficient, be autonomous, and meet their business objectives.

Canon Updates the Océ ProStream 1000

Published March 14, 2019

Johann Schmidbauer, Marketing Director of Canon PPP EMEA Commercial Printing, showed a variety of production inkjet and toner digital printing devices at Hunkeler Innovationdays and discusses updates to the Océ ProStream 1000 Inkjet Press including the ability to print on paper weights up to 300GSM.

Scodix's Digital Embellishments Change the Way Products Are Consumed

Published March 13, 2019

Adina Shorr, CEO of Scodix, talks about the digital embellishment and enhancement, especially in packaging production. Thanks to its ability to mass customize printed packaging, digital embellishments can turn something that is functional—a package—into a form of communication, ultimately changing the way that products are consumed.

HP Production Inkjet at Hunkeler Innovationdays

Published March 11, 2019

David Murphy, Director of Marketing and Business Development for HP PageWide Industrial, talks about the current state of production inkjet, its growth in applications such as direct mail and other commercial work, and the billions of pages being produced by HP PageWide Web Press customers. Helping drive page volumes are new technologies such as HP ColorPRO, HP’s Bonding Agents, the Media Certification Program, and the just-introduced D22 Priming Solution that allows PageWide Web Presses to print on offset coated media.

December 2018 Printing Shipments: Ending 2018 on a High(ish) Note

Published March 8, 2019

Printing shipments for December 2018 came in at $6.40 billion. In keeping with the industry’s new seasonality, that’s down from November, but higher than December 2017—but just barely.

Around the Web: Forensic Fashion. Grayscale iPhone Display. 3D-Printed Orthotics. Hypnotic Password Retrieval. Independent Bookstore Owners Help Out One of Their Own.

Published March 8, 2019

Forensic garment analysts. Fast fashion and the environment. A toast matching system. John Steinbeck sends Marilyn Monroe a fan letter...sort of. Death of a robot. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Canon's ProStream Changes the Printing Game

Published March 7, 2019

Eric Hawkinson, VP of Marketing for Canon Solutions America, talks about his first visit to Hunkeler Innovationdays and Canon's Océ VarioPrint i300 and Océ ProStream 1000 production inkjet systems on display during the event.

NPOA Continues to Grow

Published March 5, 2019

John Henry, CEO of Mitchell's Speedway Press Printing and Programs and Events Director for the National Print Owners Association (NPOA), talks about the advantages of NPOA membership and how both the association and the annual conference have grown in the last seven years.

Advertising and Related Establishments—2010–2016

Published March 1, 2019

In 2010, there were 38,335 establishments classified as Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services. By 2016, there had been a net loss of -1.2%. This is a very broad industry classification, comprising a disparate bunch of business types, each of which has its own unique dynamics.

Around the Web: Traveling Texts. Fit to Be Untied. Kodak Film Is Da Bomb. Uber Economics. Office Space Turns 20. Paper Fold-Away Bed. Lunar Library. Bridge of Size.

Published March 1, 2019

Getting a text from sender to receiver. The Internet of shoes. Nuclear testing and Kodak film. An oral history of “Office Space.” In praise of standards. Retrieving DNA from old books. Digitize yourself for the perfect fit. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Benoit Chatelard on What's Next for Xeikon

Published March 1, 2019

Benoit Chatelard, CEO of Xeikon, talks about the future of the company, inkjet, and the advantage of continuous feed, as well as success through automation.

Frank Talks to PrintWeek India

Published March 1, 2019

The EFI Connect Conference in Las Vegas attracts the second largest contingent of media and analysts after drupa. Frank took advantage of this unique audience to get a brief insight to print trends in some overseas markets. In this interview, he talks to Noel D’Cunha, Managing Editor of PrintWeek India.

The Future of Finishing at Hunkeler AG

Published February 28, 2019

Michel Hunkeler, CEO of Hunkeler AG, talks about the company's new product portfolio as well as how he sees the future of not only finishing technology, but entire print production systems.

Ricoh Presents Latest Printing Innovations at Hunkeler Innovationdays

Published February 28, 2019

Take a tour of the Ricoh booth at Hunkeler Innovationdays 2019. At the event Ricoh is presenting production printing systems including the Ricoh Pro™ VC70000 continuous feed full color inkjet press, the compact Ricoh Pro V20000, mono continuous feed inkjet press, and the Ricoh Pro C9200 digital press. To support efficient and streamlined production Ricoh is showing new additions to its software portfolio including Ricoh’s TotalFlow BatchBuilder and Ricoh’s ProcessDirector.

The Future Is Here at Hunkeler Innovationdays

Published February 27, 2019

Marco Boer, Vice President of IT Strategies, joins David Zwang at Hunkeler Innovationdays to share his thoughts on the event and how cutting-edge technology has improved inkjet quality.

Paper Trends in Production Inkjet Printing

Published February 27, 2019

Jan Rops, Product Manager for Inkjet at Crown Van Gelder, takes us through the current trends in papers for production inkjet printing including print quality and color management. Color management plays a critical role in reducing paper and ink costs in production inkjet printing.

Ricoh Introduces New Inkjet Technology at Hunkeler Innovationdays

Published February 26, 2019

Mike Herold, VP of Global Marketing for Ricoh, talks with David Zwang about the premiere of Ricoh's new Ricoh Pro VC70000, a continuous-feed inkjet printer that uses a new ink solution, reinvents drying, and offers other significant new features.

Automation Takes Center Stage at 13th Hunkeler Innovationdays

Published February 25, 2019

David Zwang talks to Hunkeler AG President Stefan Hunkeler about Hunkeler Innovationdays. The 13th edition of Innovationdays focuses on "Success with Automation" and utilizing Industry 4.0 concepts in automated print production systems.

Printing Shipments as a Percentage of GDP

Published February 22, 2019

Since 1997, the value of printing shipments went from around 0.75% of GDP all the way down to about 0.35%. So we should not be surprised that parts of the printing industry are falling off the government’s radar.

Around the Web: Fabric Runs Hot and Cold. Rebooting...literally. Digital Advertising Surpasses Analog. One More Color. Red Rum. Nom Daguerre. SPUDwrite. Your Cover’s Blown.

Published February 22, 2019

Fabric that responds to its wearer. I got my soul shoes on my feet. (Maybe.) The world’s first photographed human. An E Ink typewriter that only does one thing...like a typewriter. The earliest book covers. The calming sound of a dot matrix printer. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

FASTSIGNS' Catherine Monson on the Company's Continued Growth

Published February 20, 2019

Kelley Holmes talks with FASTSIGNS CEO Catherine Monson about the recent conference in Orlando and the growth of the company in 2018.

Book Printing Employees—2010–2016

Published February 15, 2019

In 2010, there were a total of 28,935 employees in U.S. book printing establishments (NAICS 323117). By 2016, book printing employment had dropped to 19,842.

Around the Web: BLS Loses Track of the Printing Industry. Where and What the Jobs Are. Apple’s “Netflix for News.” Confessions of a Content Marketer. Collecting the Elements.

Published February 15, 2019

The future of digital fabric printing. Printing industry government classifications consolidating. The fastest growing jobs in each state. Newspapers not subscribing to “Netflix for News.” The dark art of content marketing. A Death Star waffle maker. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Canon Solutions America's Touchstone Dimensional Printing Software

Published February 14, 2019

Randy Paar, Marketing Manager for Wide Format at Canon Solutions America,talks about new products the company launched at SGIA 2018—such as Océ Touchstone Dimensional Printing Software.

Oce Arizona 6100 for Corrugated and Flatbed Users

Published February 12, 2019

Patrick Donigain, Senior Marketing Specialist for Canon Solutions America, talks about the Oce Arizona 6100 UV High Flow Vacuum Series Printer designed to solve materials handling issues for corrugated customers as well as flatbed users working with materials that are difficult to hold down on the printer bed.

November 2018 Printing Shipments: Meeting Expectations

Published February 8, 2019

Printing shipments for November 2018 came in at $6.93 billion. In keeping with the industry’s new seasonality, that’s down from October—but it’s still above November 2018’s $6.80 billion.

Around the Web: Coyote Signage. DRM for Houseplants. The Longest Walk on Earth. Robot Reporters. Creepy Napkins. JQA Live on Stage. Cooked by Cellphones.

Published February 8, 2019

Patented houseplants now come with a EULA. Mapping Earth’s longest continuous walk. The rise of automated newswriting. Delta and Coke team up to creep out airline passengers. A new play about 6th US President John Quincy Adams (sort of). 5G conspiracy theories. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Fellers Supplies Wrap and Sign Materials as Well as Training

Published February 7, 2019

Lisa Smoke, franchise sales manager for Fellers, talks about the "world's largest wrap supply company" with more than 60 locations nationwide supplying vehicle wrap films as well as sign supplies, tools, and other materials. The company also offers training classes on working with wrap materials.

SGIA 2018 Canon Booth Tour

Published February 6, 2019

Angel Georgiou, Senior Marketing Specialist for Canon Large Format Solutions, takes visitors through the company's booth at the SGIA Expo in Las Vegas, highlighting their vast array of printing solutions.

swissQprint Announces Its First Roll-to-Roll Wide-Format Printer

Published February 5, 2019

Mike Kyritsi, president of swissQprint, talks to Kelley Holmes about the company's first roll-to-roll wide-format printer, to be launched at FESPA in Munich in May.

Canon's Business Builder Program Offers Training

Published February 4, 2019

Bob Honn, Senior Director of Marketing Support, Large Format Solutions, for Canon Solutions America, discusses how the Business Builder Program combines traditional hardware sales with a variety of training services.

Prepress and Postpress Services Employees—2010–2016

Published February 1, 2019

In 2010, there were a total of 32,906 employees in U.S. prepress and postpress services establishments (NAICS 32312). By 2016, “support services for printing” employment had dropped to 24,502.

Around the Web: Pwned! Prints in Space! Good Gravy! To Thine Own Virtual Self Be True! A Superfluity of Words! Play Bill!

Published February 1, 2019

How to find out if your email account has been compromised. Make your home smell like chicken gravy. VR comes to the theater. Mondrian-inspired sticky notes. Theatergoers still want a printed playbill. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Latest Inflation Adjustment Multipliers

Published January 25, 2019

Every January, we provide the latest inflation-adjustment multipliers so that print business owners can get a real sense of how they are performing year-over year.

Around the Web: Old Elements. Salad Days. Farewell, Yellow Pages. Silent City. Public Domain. Pole Position.

Published January 25, 2019

The oldest periodic table is uncovered in Scotland. UK’s Yellow Pages are no more. Cremona, Italy, goes quiet. A new zine highlights the new works in the public domain. The magnetic north pole is on the move. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Screen Printing Employees—2010–2016

Published January 18, 2019

In 2010, there were a total of 57,674 employees in U.S. screen printing establishments (NAICS 323113). By 2016, screen printing employment had grown to 63,056—the opposite of what we have seen in general commercial printing during that same period.

Around the Web: The Perception of Lines. Loving Lydian. Platform Shoes? Young Entrepreneurs Spurn VCs. A Sixfold Dos-à-Dos Book. The Case of the Missing Mile Marker Signs.

Published January 18, 2019

Why we perceive horizontal and vertical lines differently. An old typeface returns. Superior sleep with pricey pjs. Nike’s new sneaker is a fitness tech platform. Finding alternatives to venture capitalists. A 16th-century book that opens six ways. Why do Mile Marker 480 signs keep disappearing?

Graphic Arts Employment Held Steady in December

Published January 11, 2019

Overall printing employment stayed roughly the same from November to December 2018, and, compared to December 2017, declined -1.6%. Non-production printing employment was up a bit in December, production employment down by about the same bit. PR employment continues to be the industry growth spot.

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