Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

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.

Seamless Cloud-Based Mailing Solutions

Published October 4, 2018

Scott Eganhouse, Vice President of Business Development for TEC Mailing Solutions, talks about the importance of cloud-based mailing, and winning a Red Hot Technology Award at PRINT 18 for their mailing software.

Xante Makes an Impact at PRINT 18

Published October 3, 2018

Robert Ross, President of Xante, talks to Kelley Holmes about the company's successful PRINT 18, which featured their new, interactive classroom booth, as well as the excitement of bringing home three new technology awards.

Eric Hawkinson on @PRINT18 Magazine

Published October 2, 2018

Eric Hawkinson, VP of Marketing for Canon, talks about @PRINT18, the onsite guide to the Chicago conference, printed on the Canon Océ ProStream Series Production Inkjet Device.

Kicking Off PRINT 18

Published October 1, 2018

Thayer Long, President of the Association for PRINT Technologies (APTech), talks with Kelley Holmes about PRINT 18's opening day and APTech's new membership option for print service providers.

Book Printers—2016

Published September 28, 2018

In 2016, there were 421 total book printing establishments. The majority have under 10 employees. This is similar to what we find in general commercial printing—yet different.

Around the Web: Manipulating Buybacks. The Ugliest Color. New Words for Scrabble Fans. Lithophones. How Not to Catch a Plane. 3D Printed Dog Skulls.

Published September 28, 2018

Research has identified down to the Pantone number the least attractive color. Merriam-Webster adds 300 new words to the Official Scrabble Dictionary. A nine-year-old dachshund is helped by 3D printing. The pen is still mightier. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

The Changing Book Printing Market

Published September 26, 2018

Jim Clark, Director of Operations for McNaughton and Gunn, talks to Dave Zwang about the changing trends that the 42-year-old book printing business has been seeing. While offset is still the mainstay, digital is by far the fastest growing part of the business.

Sanford Health Uses Production Inkjet to Streamline Workflow

Published September 24, 2018

Lisa Stelter of Sanford Health discusses how the organization handles their in-house printing, their installation of a Canon Océ VarioPrint i300, and how the combination of their printing facilities has saved money and streamlined their workflow.

July 2018 Printing Shipments: We Have Some Good News and Some Bad News

Published September 21, 2018

Printing shipments for July 2018 came in at $6.31 billion—that’s down -3.4% from June, but it’s up +2.3% from July 2017. We’ll take whatever victories we can.

Around the Web: Odor Eating Fabric. Times Newer Roman. Rest in Personalization. Robot Rumpus. Modeling Movement. In Praise of Luddites. Pen Packaging Put-On.

Published September 21, 2018

New odor-capturing fabric finishes. Cheat on your homework with a variant of Times New Roman. New documentary on a prominent “coffin artist.” Turn any object into a robot. Turn 2D videos into 3D objects. The pen is mightier than the packaging. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

United Mail Invests in a Canon i300

Published September 20, 2018

Casey Hendrick, President of Production for United Mail, talks about the company's offerings—predominantly in the health and financial industries—and the company's integration of the new Canon Océ VarioPrint i300.

Inkjet Growth Continues to Make an Impact on the Market

Published September 19, 2018

Amy Machado of IDC Research talks about her recent inkjet forecast for the entire color market. Overall numbers show that the inkjet market is growing, thanks to quality improvements and the availability of more options.

Core Publishing Solutions Switch to Production Inkjet for Book Publishing

Published September 17, 2018

Todd Roth, VP of Manufacturing and Distribution, Core Publishing Solutions, at Thomson Reuters, discusses the company's background in web press applications, their move into production inkjet, and their new venture selling book manufacturing for other publishers.

Around the Web: Ancient Art. Avian Economists. Insect Imaging. Deterring Drivers. Planetary Palaver.

Published September 14, 2018

How to hurricane-proof your outdoor digital signage. The oldest human drawing. Do parrots know economics? New color from weevils. An optical illusion-based crosswalk thwarts speeders. New arguments for Pluto’s planethood. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Book Printers—2010–2016

Published September 14, 2018

In 2010, there were 536 book printing establishments. In the ensuing six years, the establishment count would drop -21%. So says our Commercial Printing Establishments tracker.

PRINT 18 Is Just Weeks Away

Published September 12, 2018

Kelley Holmes of WhatTheyThink, talks with Thayer Long, President of the Association for PRINT Technologies, about what to expect at PRINT 18 just a few weeks away in Chicago.

Embracing the Changing Workforce

Published September 11, 2018

Marco Boer, Vice President of IT Strategies, discusses the future of print manufacturing and how the industry will need to adjust to a growing millennial workforce.

Around the Web: 3D Printing and Disruption – New Piezo Printing Process – The New Corporate Font – High-Viscosity Printing – Truth in Stock Market Reporting – This Week in Printing History

Published September 7, 2018

A special fashion model inspires the design industry. A new font for brands encompasses all brands. A new printer technology can print very viscous liquids. An honest stock report. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Words of the Profits

Published September 7, 2018

Looking at the most recent industry profits data that came out earlier this week, we continue to tell the “tale of two cities.” Low profitability of large printers is dragging down average industry profitability. For the industry as a whole, cracking—or re-cracking—$4 billion in profits is proving to be an elusive goal.

Frank Celebrates 50 Years of PRINT

Published September 7, 2018

Frank commemorates the 50th anniversary of the first PRINT show. Held in June 1968 in Chicago, PRINT 68 was the first major industry event of the modern era, comprising 274,000 square feet and 400 exhibitors. It was the first show where hot metal typesetting was not on display (it was the dawning of the age of phototypesetting) and the first to have web offset presses running on the show floor. Attendees lined up around the block to get in.

thINK Forum 2018 Kicks Off

Published September 6, 2018

WhatTheyThink's Kelley Holmes talks to Eric Hawkinson, VP of Marketing, Canon Solutions America, about the thINK Forum 2018 which started yesterday with an Inkjet 101 boot camp hosted at CSA's Customer Experience Center in Boca Raton, Fla. More than 600 people attended this year's event to share knowledge, network, and be inspired.

Around the Web: Shopping for Preferences – Ancient Gripes – The Kids Are Offline – Chinese Typewriters – Earnings Reports: A Modest Proposal – The E-Horse – This Week in Printing History

Published August 31, 2018

The world’s oldest customer complaint was etched in clay. A modern twist on the old “spend a penny.” Today’s teens are not as wired as we thought. Twice-yearly earnings reports? The case for daily earnings reports. Researchers use 3D-printed boxes to help search for new antibiotics. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Mid-Size Establishments—2010–2016

Published August 31, 2018

In 2010, there were 6,725 10–19-employee commercial printing establishments. Among this demographic category, there was the most precipitous drop from 2010 to 2011—the fallout from the Great Recession which started to take its toll after 2009. By 2012, the bleeding had been largely stanched, and the year-to-year declines were more modest. So says our recently launched Commercial Printing Establishments tracker.

A Wealth of Activities and Programs at Upcoming PRINT 18

Published August 29, 2018

Julie Shaffer talks about the speakers and activities scheduled for PRINT 18 in Chicago, Sept. 30-Oct. 2.

Canadian Printing Shipments

Published August 24, 2018

Looking at the 12-month moving average of Canada’s printing shipments, it may look like Canada’s printing industry has been holding steady, but the inflation-adjusted figures show a slight decline from a recent peak at the end of 2013.

Around the Web: 3M Wraps Itself. Cool Caps. Trillions of Dollars. Fur-Ternity Leave. Tor Nada. This Week in Printing History.

Published August 24, 2018

3M wraps its own headquarters. UNITED CAPS develops bio-sourced plastics for its caps. How much paper would it take to print the Internet? Are library ebooks killing sales? All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Brands Need to Get Personal

Published August 20, 2018

Doris Brown-McNally of HP Graphic Solutions, talks about the top three ways to engage millennials and Gen Zers with brands, from personalizing a brand message to the use of augmented reality.

Around the Web: Small Business Optimism – Action Towels – What’s an Ad Worth? – Dumbing Phones – Cheese of the Pharaohs – This Week in Printing History

Published August 17, 2018

The latest NFIB Small Business Optimism Index. Towels made of recycled bottles. Stopping “stalking ads.” Making phones just a little less smart. The world’s oldest cheese. Modern American prints from 1920-1948. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Consolidation Among Large Print Businesses: 2010–2016

Published August 17, 2018

In 2010, there were 2,124 establishments having 50 or more employees. By 2016, they had dropped to 1,851 (down -13%). So says our new Commercial Printing Establishments tracker, based on data from the Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns, which presents—in spreadsheet form—U.S. commercial printing establishments from 2010 to 2016, broken down by six different print business classifications and nine employee-size breakdowns.

The Success of Roll-Fed Inkjet and Importance of Finishing

Published August 15, 2018

Mark Hunt, Director of Strategic Alliances for Standard Finishing Systems, discusses the reasons behind the surge of popularity in roll-fed inkjet, and the importance of finishing. He also discusses what to expect at Hunkeler Innovations Days 2019.

The Ups and Downs in the Future of Print

Published August 13, 2018

Kip Cassino, Executive Vice President of Borrell Associates, discusses the cross-generational evolution of print: what's expected to grow and what's expected to decline in the coming years.

Printing Shipments Head Into the Dog Days of Summer

Published August 10, 2018

The inflation-adjusted value of printing shipments for June 2018 were down from $6.9 billion in May to $6.5 billion in June. On the plus side, it’s not appreciably below the $6.6 billion reported in June 2017.

Around the Web: A Book of Wood – A Felt Supermarket – Amish Uber – Robot Coworkers – Cookie War – This Week in Printing History

Published August 10, 2018

A book consisting entirely of pieces of wood. How to foil a car thief: drive a stick. The gig economy is surging...but only in Amish country. Survey says: workers are cool with robot coworkers. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Frank Looks Back at—and Ahead to—Printing News

Published August 10, 2018

Frank traces the history of Printing News from its beginning in 1928, and its founder and editor, Leo Joachim. Few magazines have made it to 90 years and Frank is glad that the new relationship between WhatTheyThink and Printing News will see a printed magazine continue. Especially for the printing industry.

Around the Web: PPI Executive Director Jules VanSant Steps Down – Ambigrams and Lipograms – Customized Cars – Mad Men No More – This Week in Printing History

Published August 3, 2018

After 12 years of leadership, Jules VanSant is stepping down as PPI Executive Director. Unusual typography. Automakers look to digitally printed auto parts. Don Draper—and even Darrin Stephens—are ad men of the past. The semaphore origin of the peace symbol. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

WhatTheyThink Launches New Industry Establishment Data Series

Published August 3, 2018

Our new Commercial Printing Establishments tracker, based on data from the Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns, presents—in spreadsheet form—U.S. commercial printing establishments from 2010 to 2016, broken down by six different print business classifications and nine employee-size breakdowns.

June Printing Employment Down Y/Y

Published July 27, 2018

Overall, printing employment ticked up from May to June 2018, but on a year-over-year basis is down -1.8% from June 2017. Among the creative markets, PR is the place to be.

Around the Web: Amazon to Replace Libraries? – Book Fore-Edge Painting – The Truth About Recycled Clothing – Japan’s Looming “Y2K”-Like Problem – This Week in Printing History

Published July 27, 2018

Forbes columnist suggests replacing public libraries with Amazon stores, for some reason. The economic costs of comma misuse. Built-in sun protection for garments. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Kelley Holmes Talks About Printing News Joining WhatTheyThink

Published July 23, 2018

WhatTheyThink today announced that the Printing News Group is joining the organization to strengthen the industry’s most extensive independent news and analysis platform with both print and digital media covering commercial printing, wide format, labels, packaging, signage, specialty graphics, textiles and other industrial applications of print technology.

Around the Web: The Virtual Dressing Room – Cool Threads – Underwear Knife – Biobased Car – This Week in Printing History

Published July 20, 2018

Try on clothes virtually. As bad as flying is, it used to be worse. World’s first biobased, circular car has been successfully designed and built. Men’s boxer shorts turned into a knife. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

May Printing Shipments Up from April, Closing in on 2017 Levels

Published July 13, 2018

Printing shipments for May 2018 came in at $6.77 billion, up +3.1% from April. However, on an inflation-adjusted basis, May 2018 came in below the $6.92 billion reported in May 2017, and is well below the recent high of $7.46 billion back in May 2016.

Around the Web: Pet Allergen-Free Textiles – Social Media Around the World – Pink Is the Oldest Color – 3D Printed Car – A Decade of Smartphone Apps – This Week in Printing History

Published July 13, 2018

A new technology can remove pet allergens from textiles (and that’s nothing to sneeze at). The retail transformation heats up. Scientists find the oldest (1.1 billion years) colors. ColorZenith uses Massivit technology to 3D print a classic car for Milan’s La Scala opera house. The Morgan Library & Museum in NYC is exhibiting a unique autograph collection. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

From Traditional to Digital in Corrugated

Published July 11, 2018

Chuck Slingerland, Vice President of Sales and Digital Operations for Abbott-Action, takes us through the digital journey for a traditional corrugated converter.

Around the Web: New Water-Repellent Textiles – A 3D Printing Playbook – CliffsNotes for Food Labels – Missile Mail! – Public Libraries’ Streaming Services – This Week in Printing History

Published July 6, 2018

A new process reduces the environmental impact of water-repellent textiles. Harvard Business Review looks at new possibilities for 3D printing. New health benefits of coffee. The best streaming service may just be your public library. RIP Harlan Ellison. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Around the Web: Amazon’s On-Demand T-shirts – Cooking a 4,000-year-old recipe – “Cash is grief” – Mary Meeker Slide Roulette – This Week in Printing History

Published June 29, 2018

A "historical culinary event" featured a 4,000-year-old Mesopotamian recipe carved on a cuneiform tablet. Modern air conditioning was originally invented for a Brooklyn commercial print shop. Amazon beats out Google for product searches. The World Cup gives a lift to streaming services. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Hume Media Switches to Inkjet with Xerox Technology

Published June 28, 2018

John Hume, President of Hume Media Inc., talks about the history of his company and the upgrades he's made to his printing equipment over the years, first with the Xerox iGen and now Brenva HD production inkjet press.

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