WhatTheyThink is the global printing industry's go-to information source with both print and digital offerings, including WhatTheyThink.com, WhatTheyThink Email Newsletters, and the WhatTheyThink magazine. Our mission is to inform, educate, and inspire the industry. We provide cogent news and analysis about trends, technologies, operations, and events in all the markets that comprise today's printing and sign industries including commercial, in-plant, mailing, finishing, sign, display, textile, industrial, finishing, labels, packaging, marketing technology, software and workflow.
Displaying 751-850 of 2505 articles
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Published April 25, 2019
FastSigns President Catherine Monson discusses trends in the sign industry from environmental graphics to dynamic digital signage.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
Published April 1, 2019
It's April 1, and that can only mean one thing: the annual WhatTheyThink video blooper reel!
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%.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Published January 11, 2019
New barefoot training footwear. What color is your parachute—and how safe is it? 5G connectivity is coming—but accept no imitations. Are paper maps back on the...map? If it were really intelligent, would it be a toilet? The visual look of jazz. Is it better to read a book or listen to it? All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published December 21, 2018
In 2010, there were a total of 499,622 employees in all commercial printing and related support businesses (NAICS 323). By 2016, overall industry employment had dropped to 445,992.
Published December 18, 2018
Thomas LaTempa and Oriol Martinez Riba announce the partnership of Datacolor and Inedit as they collaborate to bring Color ReaderPRO—a color-reading management device and associated mobile app—to the market.
Published December 17, 2018
Matt Poliniak, Advisor for Canon USA, demonstrates how the combination of the Canon imagePRESS and the Duplo DDC-810 gives customers the ability to add embellishments to digital prints.
Published December 14, 2018
Printing shipments for October 2018 came in at $7.27 billion. That’s up from September—and it’s well above October 2018’s $7.08 billion. Welcome to the new seasonality.
Published December 14, 2018
A cheap, easy-to-use desktop 3D printer. RIP, Evelyn Berezin, inventor of the word processor. Jules Van Sant’s next adventure. Anonymous New Yorkers’ war on signage. A Massachusetts town creates its own broadband. “Please check for all your personal belongings.” All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published December 13, 2018
Glenn Shull, Printing Equipment Product Manager for Nazdar, talks about Nazdar's partnership with EFI and the unveiling of the EFI Pro 32r entry-level roll-to-roll wide-format printer.
Published December 12, 2018
Scott Schinlever, President and COO of Automation Solutions for Gerber Technology, announces the acquisition of MCT Digital, a company the specializes in automated cutter technology.
Published December 10, 2018
Bob Barbera, Senior Marketing Manager for Canon USA, unveils the Prisma family of workflow and print controller solutions for digital printing.
Published December 7, 2018
Open Source versions of the Creative Cloud applications. A new font aids reading for dyslexics. Yet another take on what’s happening with retail. Cutting Greenland down to size. Futurists in 1988 predict the jobs of the future. Have a time machine? Skip A.D. 536. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published December 7, 2018
Industry profits data came out earlier this week, and it was good and bad news. Overall, annualized profits for Q3 2018 were $3.07 billion—not a huge gain from Q2, but a gain nonetheless. But it’s the ongoing saga of the low profitability of large printers dragging down average industry profitability.
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