Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

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.

Around the Web: The Truth About Parachutes? Loud Packaging. Faux 5G. Personalized Cartography. Kohler’s “Intelligent Toilet.” Jazz Graphic Design.

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.

Commercial Printing Employees—2010–2016

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.

Color ReaderPRO Helps Create Customized Fabric Designs

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.

Canon Partners With Duplo to Add Embellishments

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.

October 2018 Printing Shipments: Suitable for Framing

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.

Around the Web: Easy 3D Printing. Roman Adiators. Russian Fauxbots. Bad Signs. Mass Broadband. HP Sustainability. Chicken Logs.

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.

Nazdar Partners with EFI to Roll Out a New Entry-Level Roll-to-Roll Wide-Format Printer

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.

Gerber Acquires MCT Digital

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.

Canon Introduces the Prisma Family

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.

Around the Web: 3D-Printed Food. Font for Dyslexics. Fiction On Demand. “Retail Rashomon.” Virtual Vermeer. Murdering Mercator. The Future from 1988. Stay Away from 536.

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.

Printing Industry Profits: The Tale of Two Cities Continues

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.

President of Heidelberg Americas Discusses New Strategies

Published December 6, 2018

Felix Mueller, President of Heidelberg Americas, joins Dave Zwang in Colorado and discusses new strategies for strengthening Heidelberg's position in the markets they serve, with a new emphasis on Labels and Packaging.

Sandy Alexander Acquires Wide-Format Capabilities

Published December 5, 2018

Gary Semon, Wide Plant Manager for Sandy Alexander, shares news of the company's acquisition of Designer's Press and their wide-format technology.

The New Heidelberg Fire Line

Published December 4, 2018

Stephan Plenz, CTO of Heidelberg, discusses his role, and the changes in technologies and service offerings.

Adding Embellishment with Duplo's Spot UV Solution

Published December 3, 2018

Si Nguyen, Vice President of Sales for Duplo, shares innovative texture and embellishment effects utilizing Duplo's spot UV solution.

Prepress and Postpress Services Establishments—2016

Published November 30, 2018

In 2016, there were 1,545 total U.S. establishments offering prepress and/or postpress services (NAICS 32312); 51% of these establishments had fewer than 10 employees.

Around the Web: Really Clickable Paper. Chocing Typography. More Gift Wrap Ideas. Guerrilla Signage. Alexa Sleeps with the Fishes. P Is for Pterodactyl. Beard Lights!

Published November 30, 2018

A new kind of electronic paper. The science of paper crumpling. How Choc became a ubiquitous typeface. A “guerilla artist” produces life-affirming stealth signage. Alexa has been integrated into Big Mouth Billy Bass, for reasons passing understanding. A collision of vehicle graphics, AI, and public shaming. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Color Casters Offers Color Management Training and Consulting

Published November 29, 2018

Jim Raffel talks about his new business Color Casters, which offers color management training both via SGIA's color management bootcamps and customized training and consulting.

Kodak's Flexo Journey

Published November 28, 2018

Zaki Ali, CTO of Kodak Flexographic Division talks to David Zwang about the journey of flexo and how Kodak legacy technology has brought flexo platemaking to new heights.

Print and Finishing Solutions Adds an AR Layer to Print

Published November 27, 2018

Kian Hemmen, Western Regional Sales Manager (RMGT) at Print and Finishing Solutions, talks about the company's Augmented Reality (AR) technology, and how making print interactive can help increase a customer's profitability.

EFI Expands Their Channel Partner Program

Published November 26, 2018

Ricky Vescovacci, Manager of National Channel Sales for EFI, talks about their channel partner program and how they are collaborating with Ricoh and Nazdar.

New Partnerships for the 2019 InPrint Conference

Published November 21, 2018

Melissa Magestro, Executive Vice President of Mac Brooks Exhibitions, announces new partnerships for next year's InPrint Conference, to be held April 9 to 11 in Louisville, Ky.

Dan Johansen Recaps Ricoh's Recent Wide-Format Announcements

Published November 21, 2018

Dan Johansen, Marketing Manager for Graphic Arts Wide Format, Commercial and Industrial Printing Business Group for Ricoh USA, sums up the new products introduced at the SGIA Expo 2018, including the RICOH Pro L5160 latex printer and RICOH Pro TF 6250 flatbed.

Augmenting Print with AR

Published November 20, 2018

Jim Luttrell of SOCiOS talks about the future of AR and the possibilities available for print applications.

Sandy Alexander Purchases Designer's Press

Published November 19, 2018

Jason Leonard, Director of Business Development for Sandy Alexander, announces that Designer's Press in Orlando has been purchased by Sandy Alexander, which will re-brand the company and expand their wide-format capabilities.

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