Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

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.

Prepress and Postpress Services Establishments

Published November 16, 2018

In 2010, there were 2,080 establishments offering prepress and/or postpress services; by 2016, that number had dropped to 1,545. (The Census Bureau stopped breaking out prepress and postpress establishments separately in 2012.) It’s not difficult to understand why the number of these establishments has been dropping; prepress is being absorbed into the printing process itself (especially in digital printing), and more print businesses are acquiring their own finishing capabilities.

Around the Web: Dry Leather. Secret Envelopes. Movies and Typography. Eyewitness Alexa. Informed Identity Theft. Farewell, Mon Kg

Published November 16, 2018

Mix-and-match jigsaw puzzles. Postcards from World War I. The bestselling books of 2114. Alexa stars in a reboot of "Rear Window." Friendly skies, unfriendly seats. Weighing in on the kilogram. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Roland Interviews Customers at SGIA Expo

Published November 15, 2018

Andrew Oransky, President of Roland DGA, talks about how the company took the opportunity to interview several customers at the SGIA Expo to better understand their businesses—and how Roland can help them achieve their goals.

InPrint Heads to Louisville

Published November 14, 2018

Frazer Chesterman, Co-Founder of InPrint, previews the upcoming InPrint 2019 industrial printing conference, which will take place April 9-11 in Louisville, Ky., and discusses some of the current trends in industrial printing.

Crawford Technologies and Workflow Automation

Published November 13, 2018

Ernie Crawford, CEO of Crawford Technologies, defines "workflow" and talks about the company's software and automation solutions for the transactional and direct mail space.

BlueCrest: "A $450 Million Start-Up"

Published November 13, 2018

Grant Miller, CEO of BlueCrest, discusses this new standalone company within Pitney Bowes that has merged Pitney Bowes' core document messaging technologies with its software portfolio.

Two Sides' "Keep Me Posted" Campaign Advocates Access to Printed Communications

Published November 12, 2018

Phil Riebel, President of Two Sides North America, talks about the work the organization does to advocate for printing and paper, with more than 1,000 members. Through its Keep Me Posted Campaign, the organization is advocating access to printed statements and communications.

Modern Litho Expands Its Footprint

Published November 12, 2018

Jim Tomblinson, Vice President of Operations for Modern Litho, discusses the breadth of the company's offerings, its expanding geographical footprint, and how it has benefitted from the adoption of processless plates.

End of the Season? September 2018 Printing Shipments

Published November 9, 2018

Printing shipments for September 2018 came in at $6.52 billion. That’s down from August—and it’s well below August 2017’s $6.76 billion. Are we seeing a new seasonality in the printing industry—or the end of any seasonality?

Around the Web: Virtual Fitting Rooms. Gift Wrap Your Face. Typewriters for Sale. Flying Cars. Music for Cheese. Fungus Footwear. Bionic Mushrooms. Fake News[casters].

Published November 9, 2018

Virtual fitting rooms for men. Create customized wrapping paper. Safety apparel for grow lights. Is the flying car on its way? Boots for Mars. Chinese news media introduces AI-based virtual presenters. What’s the deal with “The Piña Colada Song”? All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Looking Ahead to drupa 2020

Published November 8, 2018

Sabine Geldermann, Director of drupa and Global Head of Print Technology, talks about what visitors can expect at drupa in 2020.

David Fellman on Worldwide Sales Training

Published November 8, 2018

David Fellman, President of David Fellman & Associates and longtime Printing News contributor, shares his experiences in Australia and New Zealand in worldwide sales training.

The New Nexfinity

Published November 7, 2018

Todd Bigger, of Eastman Kodak Company, talks about the next-generation Nexfinity digital press and how it builds on and extends the existing platform.

Stefan Hunkeler on the Upcoming Hunkeler Innovation Days

Published November 7, 2018

Stefan Hunkeler, President of Hunkeler, looks forward to Innovation Days in February and offers a preview of what attendees can look forward to in high-end inkjet production.

Textile Printing for Commercial Printers

Published November 6, 2018

Tim Check, Senior Product Manager for Epson America, talks about textile printing technologies and how commercial printers can use fabric printing to open up new business opportunities and offer more options to customers.

Canon Unveils New Wide-Format Printers

Published November 5, 2018

Richard Reamer, Senior Director of Large Format Solutions at Canon USA, talks about Canon's wide-format printer portfolio and the new TM (Technical Multipurpose) Series, targeted at architects, engineers, and contractors. The use of a new pigment ink also makes the new series printers suitable for posters and other display graphics.

CHILI Publisher and "Smart Artwork"

Published November 5, 2018

Kevin Goeminne, CEO of CHILI Publish, talks about the CHILI Publisher universal graphics engine focused around "smart artwork"—a way of templating and automating the design and production of a variety of packaging and marketing materials.

Screen Printers—2016

Published November 2, 2018

In 2016, there were 5,150 total U.S. commercial screen printing establishments. As with most printing categories, the majority have under 10 employees, but screen shops tend to be smaller than other kinds of printing establishments.

Around the Web: New Flame-Retardant Fabric. Blockchains in Space. Direct-to-Object Printing. Pantone’s “Unignorable” Color. Hamster Power.

Published November 2, 2018

Don’t spoil the ends of books...or else. Heidelberg heads to InPrint Milan with the Omnifire. A new meaning of the phrase “high on the hog.” Pantone and United Way develop a new color to raise awareness of social issues. Could you power your home with hamsters? All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Glazier Design, Digital Printing, and Beyond

Published November 1, 2018

Ben Glazier, Director of Glazier Design, talks to Kelley Holmes about the new Xerox Iridesse press and the advantages of new digital technology, as well as Glazier Design's connection to the Stephen Hawking Foundation.

What to Look for in MIS Software

Published October 31, 2018

Jonathan Bowen, Product Specialist for PrintIQ, talks to Kelley Holmes about the importance of an MIS and what to look for when shopping for one.

Epson Introduces New SureColor Technical Printer

Published October 30, 2018

Matt Kochanowski, Product Manager for Epson America, talks about the company's new SureColor printers, designed for the AEC (architecture/engineering/construction) print market.

Xeikon's Success at PRINT 18

Published October 30, 2018

Donna Covannon, Director of Marketing for North America, Xeikon, talks about the company's productive year and the new technology to come.

Meet This Year's Skills USA National Champion

Published October 29, 2018

Brittany Whitestone, a junior at California University of Pennsylvania, is this year's national champion of Skills USA, an organization that creates technical standards for students to showcase what they've learned. To win the national competition, Whitestone had to operate offset and digital printing and finishing equipment, estimate jobs, and pass a job interview. She goes on to compete in the WorldSkills competition in Russia.

The Importance of User Groups

Published October 29, 2018

Christine Yardley, President of PrintPanther, talks about the advantages of being a member of PROKOM, Konica Minolta's user community, and how user groups are a great source of information, troubleshooting resources, and networking opportunities.

Graphic Arts Employment Continues to Decline; PR Employment Continues to Grow

Published October 26, 2018

Overall printing employment dropped from August to September 2018, and on a year-over-year basis is down -1.5%. Non-production printing employment was up slightly, indicating that production staff are the hardest employees to find. PR employment is again the industry bright spot, employment-wise.

Around the Web: Cameras In the Lens. Recycled Textiles in the Ink. Color in The Hulk. Apocalypse Not in Retail.

Published October 26, 2018

Get a customized reading list from the Brooklyn Public Library. A new process recycles textile waste into dyestuffs. Poor color management made The Hulk green. Shatner Claus? Thwarting the “retail apocalypse.” 200 years of Frankenstein. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Team Concept Printing Purchases MGI JETVarnish to Expand Offerings

Published October 25, 2018

Tony Rouse, President of Carol Stream, Ill.'s Team Concept Printing, talks to Kelley Holmes about the company's purchase of a new MGI JETVarnish 3-D to offer customers more options and "spice up" print.

Copresco Sees Opportunities in Digital Book Printing

Published October 24, 2018

Steve Johnson, President and CEO of Copresco, talks about the changing industry and the opportunities available in digital book printing.

OKI Pushes the Envelope

Published October 23, 2018

Arthur Verwey, Senior Product Marketing Manager for OKI Data Americas, discusses the company's newest digital envelope presses.

RISO's New Rollfed Inkjet Technology

Published October 23, 2018

Andre D'Urbano, Director of Dealer Sales for RISO, talks about RISO's broad digital inkjet portfolio and introduces a new rollfed option.

The Present and Future of SGIA

Published October 22, 2018

Ford Bowers, President and CEO of SGIA, talks about this year's final SGIA Expo—as well as the future of the association and the expo, as both change with the industry.

Global Graphics On the New PDF 2.0

Published October 22, 2018

Martin Bailey, CTO of Global Graphics, talks with Dave Zwang about the exciting new PDF 2.0 and what it means for the printing industry.

Screen Printers 2010–2016

Published October 19, 2018

From 2010 to 2016, the number of U.S. commercial screen printing establishments increased from 4,454 to 5,150. Growth in screen printing establishments has been consistent from year to year. Chalk this up to the rise of specialty printing.

Around the Web: A Cheesy Book. “Hello, Death.” Watching The Night Watch. Packaging Design Archive Online.

Published October 19, 2018

A new book is nothing but bound slices of cheese. A New Zealand vending machine has a grim message. The Rijksmuseum to livestream a Rembrandt painting restoration. The Museum of London offers a fascinating online archive of package design.

UV-LED Curing Helps Bring Jobs Back to Offset

Published October 18, 2018

Chris Manley, President of Graphco, which represents RMGT in the U.S., talks about how the advantages of UV-LED curing are driving customers to "unplug" their digital presses and move more jobs to offset to increase profitability.

HP’s Alon Bar-Shany on Trends in Labels and Flexible Packaging

Published October 18, 2018

Dave Zwang talks to Alon Bar-Shany, General Manager for HP Indigo, HP Inc., about the growth he has been seeing in both the label and flexible packaging markets, as well as how the industry can learn from past commercial printing experience to avoid pitfalls in the future.

New RSA Releases Help Boost In-Plant Automation and Productivity

Published October 17, 2018

Vince Tutino, Senior Product Manager for Rochester Software Associates (RSA), discusses three updated products designed to increase productivity and automation for in-plants: WebCRD Web to print software, QDirect output manager, and RSA's Universal prepress suite, ReadyPrint.

CloudLab's Tailor-Made Web-to-Print Solutions

Published October 17, 2018

Marc Horriar, CEO and Founder, talks about CloudLab, one of the largest web-to-print vendors in Europe, and whose U.S. branch opened in 2017. CloudLab has more than 200 customers in 25 countries. Some of the largest online print businesses in the world use CloudLab, which focuses on solutions tailored to each business rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Colter and Peterson Announces New Saber Cutting Line

Published October 16, 2018

Finishing products manufacturer Colter and Peterson has been in the industry for 100 years and continues to innovate the paper finishing business. President Bruce Peterson, grandson of the company's founder, talks with Kelley Holmes about C&P's new line of Saber cutters.

Producing High-Value Print Applications with Scodix's Ultra2 Pro

Published October 15, 2018

Mark Nixon, General Manager for Scodix, introduces the Ultra2 Pro at PRINT 18, able to cast and cure, a process that can create very high-value, digitally embossed applications, from holographics to foil.

SGIA Acquires Graphics of the Americas

Published October 15, 2018

Ford Bowers, President and CEO of SGIA, talks with Cary Sherburne about SGIA's recent acquisition of the Graphics of the Americas show.

Around the Web: Know Your Flower Colors. The Mummy Sells! Self-Destructing Art. Unraveling the CVS Receipt. Mac & Cheese Candy Canes.

Published October 12, 2018

A new book identifies flowers by color. An old movie poster to sell at auction for $1+ million. Closed captioning glasses for live theater. Christmas comestibles: mac and cheese candy canes and Christmas tree-flavored potato chips. Is the Internet of Things trouble waiting to happen? All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Dead Heat: August 2018 Printing Shipments

Published October 12, 2018

Printing shipments for August 2018 came in at $6.89 billion. That’s essentially even with August 2017’s $6.88 billion on an inflation-adjusted basis.

New Horizons for Standard Finishing Systems

Published October 11, 2018

Paul Steinke, National Sales Manager for Standard Finishing Systems, talks about two new Horizon finishing units on display at PRINT 18: the StitchLiner Mark III and BQ-480 perfect binder, both of which include new automation features.

Ricoh Unveils New Workflow and Data Analytics Solutions

Published October 9, 2018

Ryan Kiley, Director of Strategic Production Services for Ricoh USA, talks about Ricoh Communications Manager and Ricoh Supervisor, the company's new workflow automation and print shop management tools.

Tour the Canon Applications Gallery at PRINT 18

Published October 8, 2018

Join Jennifer Kolloczek, Director of Marketing for Canon Solutions America, on a tour of the #PRINTCANON Applications Gallery at PRINT 18 in Chicago. This fully immersive hotel experience highlights the many applications that customers can add to their own businesses with the help of Canon technology.

Commercial Printers—2016

Published October 5, 2018

In 2016, there were 18,405 total commercial printing establishments (excluding screen and book printers). Half of them have fewer than 5 employees.

Around the Web: Apparel Manufacturing of the Future. Death by Selfie. Memory-Enhancing Font. Ditching Facebook. Fake News. Next-Gen WiFi.

Published October 5, 2018

Print advertising success stories. Sans Forgetica, a font designed for memory retention. Young people are deleting their Facebook app. Social media users expect news to be inaccurate. WiFi 6 is coming; this may not be good news. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Creative Labels Transitions to Digital

Published October 5, 2018

Chris Martin, VP of Creative Labels, has been in the label business since 1980, and talks to Dave Zwang at Labelexpo about the steps he's taken over the years to transition into digital technologies.

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