Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

Nathaniel Grant Previews the NPSOA Annual Conference

Published February 23, 2023

Nathaniel Grant, Chairman of the National Print & Sign Owners Association, hangs out with Eric talking about NPSOA and their annual owners conference happening in Myrtle Beach, S.C., March 16-18.

WhatTheyThink and Taktiful Partner on Landmark Digital Embellishment Study

Published February 21, 2023

Kevin Abergel, President of Taktiful, speaks with Eric Vessels of WhatTheyThink about their partnership on a new and exciting survey that will produce the first of its kind study on specialty ink usage in the printing industry. To take the survey, click the link below the video.

Printing Outlook 2023 Preview

Published February 20, 2023

In this edition of the ongoing "What's Up with WhatTheyThink?" video series, Eric Vessels speaks with WhatTheyThink's Managing Editor Richard Romano to get some insights into WhatTheyThink's Printing Outlook 2023 report.

WhatTheyThink Magazine Issue One—The Software Issue

Published February 14, 2023

The WhatTheyThink team discusses the newly redesigned and reimagined WhatTheyThink Magazine. Join Eric Vessels, Richard Romano, and Jessica Taylor as they have a jam session on the new magazine direction and design, and talk about Issue One—The Software Issue.

Women’s Networking Luncheon Kicks Off Annual Event at ePS CONNECT

Published February 13, 2023

This year’s CONNECT event, hosted by eProductivity Software at The Wynn in Las Vegas, featured a Women’s Networking Lunch where women—along with some men—gathered to hear the stories of powerful women and discuss ways to get more women into the industry and leadership positions.

eProductivity Software Executive Chairman Marc Olin Previews the CONNECT Event Coming Up at The Wynn in Las Vegas

Published January 23, 2023

eProductivity Software Executive Chairman Marc Olin and WhatTheyThink's Eric Vessels preview the upcoming CONNECT event at The Wynn in Las Vegas. They discuss the history and evolution of CONNECT and talk about what people can expect this year as it enters a new phase under the control of eProductivity Software.

eProductivity Software's Aleks Zlatic Previews CONNECT 2023

Published January 20, 2023

Aleks Zlatic, General Manager of the Packaging Division for eProductivity Software, talks to Eric Vessels about the upcoming ePS CONNECT event at The Wynn in Las Vegas. Aleks talks about the packaging-specific sessions as well as key partners, associations, and customers who will be in attendance.

eProductivity Software's Charlotte Tueckmantel Previews CONNECT 2023

Published January 19, 2023

Charlotte Tueckmantel, VP/GM Global E-commerce & Enterprise Print, gives a preview of the upcoming eProductivity Software CONNECT event. Charlotte talks to WhatTheyThink's Eric Vessels about what to expect in Las Vegas at The Wynn as CONNECT enters a new phase under the auspices of ePS.

eProductivity Software's Nick Benkovich Discusses "What's Up" at CONNECT 2023

Published January 19, 2023

In the latest installment of "What's Up? with WhatTheyThink", Eric Vessels talks to Nick Benkovich of eProductivity Software about the upcoming ePS CONNECT User Conference and Industry Event. Nick and Eric discuss the move from an EFI event to a software-focused event with new partners, exciting sessions, and industry keynotes.

Standard Finishing's Mark Hunt Previews PRINTING United Expo 2022

Published October 10, 2022

Mark Hunt, Director of Strategic Alliances at Standard Finishing, takes time out of busy preparations for PRINTING United to speak with Eric Vessels about their 4,000 square feet of space at the show and all the finishing and automation solutions they will be featuring. This is a great peek into what people will see from Standard at the show!

Michael Marcian Gives an Attendee Perspective Preview of PRINTING United Expo

Published October 4, 2022

WhatTheyThink's Eric Vessels chats with Michael Marcian, former CEO of CCG (now a part of DCG One) about the upcoming PRINTING United Expo event in Las Vegas October 19-21, as well as his role as the incoming PRINTING United Alliance Chairman.

HP's Tom Wittenberg Previews PRINTING United Expo 2022

Published October 3, 2022

WhatTheyThink's Eric Vessels chats with HP's Tom Wittenberg about the upcoming PRINTING United Expo in Las Vegas October 19-21. HP has made a significant investment in the show and has already made a big splash at LabelExpo and will again in Vegas. Catch up with Tom in this great conversation between Tom and Eric.

Richard Romano Previews Americas Print Show: Printing Outlook 2022...and Beyond

Published August 2, 2022

Richard Romano, Managing Editor at WhatTheyThink, chats with Eric Vessels about his upcoming presentation at Americas Print Show where he'll be reviewing the latest WhatTheyThink Printing Outlook 2022 Survey. Richard will detail the latest industry economic data and macroeconomic trends, industry, cultural, and technological shifts, and advancements to look out for now and in the future. The session will offer valuable insights and inspiration to help get ahead of 2023.

Travis Mlaker Previews Americas Print Show: Paper and the Supply Chain Gang

Published August 1, 2022

Travis Mlaker, President & CEO of Millcraft, talks with Eric Vessels about his upcoming sessions at Americas Print Show. Millcraft is a 100-year-old independent, fourth-generation, family-owned paper and packaging merchant. Travis and Executive Vice President and COO Greg Lovensheimer will share their insights on the biggest domestic and global factors impacting the marketplace; what we can expect from suppliers for the rest of 2022 and into 2023 (inventory levels, pricing); how to navigate the supply chain turbulence; new market opportunities; and what Millcraft is doing to protect their business—and their customers’ businesses—during this volatile time.

David Mauro Previews Americas Print Show: Think Like a Hacker!

Published July 26, 2022

David Mauro, Regional Manager for All Covered, speaks with Eric Vessels about his session at the upcoming Americas Print Show in Columbus, Ohio, August 17-19. His session will cover cybersecurity—and will challenge us to "Think Like a Hacker!" in order to improve our businesses' security.

Dr. Aravind Chandrasekaran Previews Americas Print Show: Creating a Culture of Innovation and Learning

Published July 25, 2022

Dr. Aravind Chandrasekaran, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Executive Education at the Ohio State University Fisher College of Business, speaks with Eric Vessels about his session at the Americas Print Show in Columbus, Ohio, August 17–19. Dr. Chandrasekaran session will discuss how to create an environment for sales to grow and everyone thrive in their job.

Kelly Mallozzi Previews Americas Print Show: Supercharging Your Sales Engine & The ABCs of Social Media

Published July 19, 2022

Kelly Mallozzi, Principal at Success.In.Print, speaks with WhatTheyThink's Eric Vessels about her sessions at Americas Print Show in Columbus, Ohio, August 17–19, in which she will talk about supercharging your sales engine and the ABCs of building and maintaining a social media presence.

Eric Vessels and Thayer Long on APTech's Acquisition of WhatTheyThink

Published June 27, 2022

Eric Vessels, President of WhatTheyThink, talks to Thayer Long, President of APTech, about APTech’s recent acquisition of WhatTheyThink, and what it means for both organizations and for the industry at large.

Getting to Know Budget INKS at the FASTSIGNS Annual Convention

Published February 24, 2022

Budget INKS President James Schall talks all things color and inks with WhatTheyThink President Eric Vessels. James was an exhibitor at the recent FASTSIGNS Annual Convention and talks about the event and the new product they brought and launched at the show.

Subscription-Based Graphic Design?

Published February 23, 2022

easel.ly Founder and CEO Vernon Southward talks to Eric Vessels about his unique business model of providing graphic design services by subscription and how he is helping small print business thrive with professional design services they may otherwise not be able to afford.

EFI’s Ken Hanulec Welcomes the Return of In-Person Connect

Published January 20, 2022

EFI Connect returned to Las Vegas this week. Ken Hanulec, EFI’s VP of Worldwide Marketing, talks about this year’s event, the spin off of eProductivity into its own business, and the future of EFI.

The Best Postcards’ Andrew Ettinger on Direct Marketing

Published November 8, 2021

Eric Vessels talks to Andrew Ettinger of The Best Postcards, which helps clients develop effective branding and direct mail and marketing. Ettinger shares his personal “origin story,” the highs and the lows, before landing on his feet at The Best Postcards.

Industry Veteran Patrick Henry to Retire

Published June 10, 2021

Eric Vessels talks to industry analyst, writer, and former WhatTheyThink contributor Patrick Henry, who has recently announced his retirement. They look back at Pat’s career—he began as a stringer for the long-gone Long Island Press newspaper covering the police beat and in 1984 answered a classified ad for an editorial position at the then-weekly Printing News. Pat wrote for WhatTheyThink from 2002 to 2017. We wish Pat all the best!

Durst Launches New P5 Next-Generation Technology Platform

Published February 27, 2018

We travel to Lienz, Austria for the unveiling and launch of the new Durst P5 Platform. We speak with CEO Christoph Gamper, who gives us an overview of the new platform and how it came about. Tomio Kiyose, Product Manager for Large Format Flatbed, also shares some of the technical details—including a 70% productivity increase along with resolution and quality gains.

Prepress Opportunities for Digital Print for Packaging

Published June 20, 2017

Marketing Director Mike Medina of Phototype discusses some of the new directions that packaging prepress companies can take as digital production starts to take hold of the industry.

Highcon Showcases Full Portfolio of Digital Creasing/Cutting Machines at pre-drupa Event

Published March 17, 2016

WhatTheyThink attended a pre-drupa event for Highcon at their headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Yavne, Israel. We were able to get an early look at what will be on full display at the Dusseldorf trade fair. The takeaway is that in four short years Highcon has gone from a single machine to a full portfolio of digital finishing products.

Kodak's Brad Kruchten Talks Sonora Plates at Open House Event

Published September 11, 2015

WhatTheyThink's Eric Vessels sits down with Kodak Print Systems President Brad Kruchten at a recent open house event to discuss the importance of the Sonora process free plate business to Kodak's print systems group.

Blue Not Just Blue During March Madness

Published April 3, 2015

The New York Times ran an interesting article on college basketball that talks about the importance of color when it comes to school colors.

SGIA 2014 Breaks Records and Sets the Tone for the Future

Published October 29, 2014

SGIA President Michael Robertson talks to Eric Vessels on the last day of SGIA Expo 2014 and gives some perspective on yet another record breaking year.

The Future Has Been Disrupted...What Now?

Published September 26, 2014

Dr. Joe Webb and Richard Romano, authors of Disrupting the Future and Getting Business, are out with their latest release This Point Forward. I just finished reading it and wanted to let you know what I think and share some details on the WhatTheyThink teams activities at this years Graph Expo.

What It Means to be a Technology Company That Happens to Print

Published September 4, 2014

What does it mean to be a technology company that happens to print? Rick Bellamy, CEO of RPI, explains this concept and also what he's seeing in the market relative to personalization and how that impacts what customers demand.

The Need for Workflow Management in the Book Printing Segment

Published September 2, 2014

Jay Foster, President of Soft Solutions, talks to Eric Vessels about the the needs for workflow management software in the fast changing book printing industry.

Responding to Changes in the Book Printing Industry

Published August 25, 2014

Joe Upton, VP of Sales and Marketing at Edwards Brothers Malloy, talks to Eric Vessels about the merger that created their new company and the focus of their business and how they've responded to the changing nature of book printing.

The Impact of the Multi-Generational Workforce

Published August 11, 2014

Jerry Scher talks to Eric Vessels about the multi-generational workforce and the impact it is making on business and how printers can ensure their recruiting process ensures they are attracting good talent.

HF Group Transforms from Library Binder to Digital Book Manufacturer

Published August 4, 2014

Jim Heckman, VP at HF Group, talks to Eric Vessels about going from being a library binder to fully embracing the digital revolution by getting into the printing side of the book business.

How Booksellers and Book Manufacturers Cooperate

Published August 1, 2014

Oren Teicher, CEO of the American Booksellers Association, talks to Eric Vessels about the cooperation between BMI and his organization.

How Book Industry Changes is Affecting Suppliers

Published July 28, 2014

Dean Likas, RockTenn Director of Business Development, talks to Eric Vessels about the changes in the book printing industry and how it's impacted their business.

RPI Acquires DPI for Growth

Published July 14, 2014

Rick Bellamy, CEO of RPI, talks to Eric Vessels about their acquisition of DPI. He talks about the reason for the acquisition and how the integration has been going.

The Changing Landscape of the Bookseller

Published July 14, 2014

Oren Teicher, CEO of the American Booksellers Associations, talks to Eric Vessels about the pressures on booksellers by digital content and the relative renaissance of their sector.

Kern Evolves into Inkjet Printing from Production Mailing

Published July 8, 2014

Ryan McManus, Marketing Director at Kern, talks to Eric Vessels about the company and how they've evolved from production mailing and finishing equipment to inkjet presses.

The Offset to Digital Transformation in Book Printing

Published July 7, 2014

Steve Fyfe, Owner of Magnum Digital Solutions, speaks with Eric Vessels about the offset to digital transformation in the book printing segment.

Catching up with Web2Print Vendor Amazing Print

Published July 3, 2014

Slava Apel, CEO of Amazing Print, talks to Eric Vessels about what is new at the company and how they are innovating to support their customer base.

The Ever-Changing Nature of Digital Book Publishing

Published June 16, 2014

Charles Marshall, VP of R&D at Lightning Source, talks about the digital one-off book publishing market and how things have changed and what the future holds.

Bridgeport National Bindery Transitions from Bindery to Digital Book Printer

Published May 20, 2014

Kent Larson, VP of Print on Demand at Bridgeport National Bindery, talks to Eric Vessels about transitioning from being just a bindery to becoming a digital printer doing on-demand book printing.

INX International: From Ink Manufacturer to Digital Press Market

Published February 6, 2014

Jim Lambert, VP & GM of Digital Management Division at INX International, speaks about how INX International went from an ink manufacturer transformed themselves from an ink manufacturer to digital press manufacturer.

How the Digital Transformation has Impacted Webcrafters' Book Manufacturing

Published December 12, 2013

Brad Koch, VP of Sales for Webcrafters, talks to Eric Vessels about how the digital transformation has impacted their book manufacturing business and how Kodak has contributed to those changes.

The Digital Transformation and the Importance of BMI

Published November 8, 2013

Steve Fyfe, Owner/Manager of Magnum Digital Solutions, talks about the genesis of Magnum and the importance of the Book Manufacturers Institute and their annual conference.

Janet McCarthy Grimm on BMI Associate Membership

Published November 5, 2013

Janet McCarthy Grimm, VP of Sales for Lindenmeyer, talks to Eric Vessels about being a BMI Associate Member and what the association is doing for her career.

Mike Collinge of BMI at Their Annual General Meeting and Conference

Published November 4, 2013

Mike Collinge, President of BMI (Book Manufacturing Institute), speaks with Eric Vessels at their annual member conference about the association and what happens at their annual general meeting and conference.

xpedx Goes Wide with Series of Summits

Published July 3, 2013

WhatTheyThink's Eric Vessels made a short trip from his home in Ohio down to the xpedx headquarters in Cincinnati for one of fourteen Wide Format Summits being put on by the company in 2013. This piece gives his impressions as well as thoughts from those who attended the event.

John Krehbiel of CJ Krehbiel Company on Exploring Wide Format

Published July 1, 2013

John Krehbiel, Systems Specialist at the CJ Krehbiel Company in Cincinnati, talks about branching out into wide format at the xpedx Wide Format Summit.

Rick Autzen of Springdot on Entering the Wide Format Space

Published June 28, 2013

Rick Autzen, COO of Springdot, talks to Eric Vessels about the customer driven decision to get in the wide format space at the xpedx Wide Format Summit in Cincinnati.

Strine Printing's David Kornbau on their Digital Transformation

Published April 23, 2013

David Kornbau, SVP or Strine Printing, talks to Eric Vessels about their business and how they've responded to the digital transformation of the industry.

Hybrid Software's Mike Rottenborn on trends in data usage, MIS, and web-to-print

Published March 15, 2013

Mike Rottenborn, President & CEO of Hybrid Software, talks to Eric Vessels about the trends he's seeing in the industry relative to data usage, MIS systems, and web-to-print.

Phil Yu of Gamut Media on Winning a Golden Image Award at SGIA

Published March 1, 2013

Phil Yu, Creative Director at Gamut Media, talks to Eric Vessels at SGIA about winning a Golden Image Award for a unique restaurant application.

Mike Rottenborn of Hybrid Software Shares a Web-to-Print Case Study

Published February 26, 2013

Mike Rottenborn, President and CEO of Hybrid Software talks to Eric Vessels about a web-to-print cases study involving a customer who sells folding cartons from a web site.

WhatTheyThink on the Road Again at GOA and Dscoop

Published February 20, 2013

The tireless WhatTheyThink crew is on the road again. This time in both Orlando and Nashville attending Graphics of the Americas as well as Dscoop. Yes, simultaneously! How do they do it?

KBA President Claus Bolza-Shunemann on the company transformation, packaging, and partnerships

Published February 5, 2013

KBA President Claus Bolza-Shunemann talks to Eric Vessels about their changing strategic direction responding to the changing nature of the industry as well as their offerings in the packaging segment and recent partnerships.

Digital Leaders Gathering in Las Vegas for AppForum 2013

Published January 25, 2013

Over the weekend, those blazing a virtual trail in the industry relative to digital printing and its applications will be blazing a different kind of trail on their way to Las Vegas to attend the 2013 PODi AppForum. WhatTheyThink will be there as a long time supporter of the event and here’s what to expect.

Van Son Inks John Bendowski on wide format inks

Published January 14, 2013

John Bendowski, Vice President of Van Son Ink, talks to Eric Vessels about bringing their wide format ink offerings to North America and what is driving demand in wide format among commercial printers.

FastSigns CEO Catherine Monson on Undercover Boss

Published November 16, 2012

FastSigns CEO Catherine Monson talks to Eric Vessels about being on the CBS show Undercover Boss, shares details of the experience as well as lessons learned that others can benefit from in their businesses.

FastSigns CEO Catherine Monson on Co-branding

Published November 9, 2012

CEO of FastSigns Catherine Monson talks with Eric Vessels about their recently announced co-branding program for existing printers wanting to get into the wide format space.

SGIA President & CEO Michael Robertson on the 2012 show

Published October 23, 2012

Michael Robertson, SGIA President & CEO speaks with Eric Vessels about SGIA 2012 and having a record year for show attendance. They also talk about industry trends in wide format.

Phil Yu of Gamut Media on Winning SGIA Golden Image Award

Published October 22, 2012

Phil Yu, Creative Director at Gamut Media, speaks with Eric Vessels at SGIA about winning a Golden Image Award for their unique work for a local restaurant.

FastSigns CEO Catherine Monson on SGIA Day 1

Published October 19, 2012

Catherine Monson, CEO of FastSigns speaks with Eric Vessels about SGIA 2012, what she hopes to have her team accomplish at the show, trends she's seeing, and promoting their Co-branding program announced at Grap Expo.

Cary Sherburne shares thoughts on the opening day of Graph Expo 2012

Published October 8, 2012

WhatTheyThink President Eric Vessels and Senior Editor Cary Sherburne talk about day one at Graph Expo 2012 and her early impressions of the show.

A Tour of Canon’s Suzhou facility

Published July 2, 2012

WhatTheyThink recently joined other editors and analysts on a media tour of Canon’s production facility in Suzhou, China. The visit was part of a second leg of a trip that included a visit to the company’s Tokyo headquarters. The plant tour in Suzhou was an opportunity to see the Canon production system up close.

CEO Fujio Mitarai and Canon Host US Media Tour

Published June 29, 2012

WhatTheyThink recently joined other editors and analysts on a media tour to Canon’s headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. There, we were given a unique opportunity to hear from Canon Chairman & CEO Fujio Mitarai on his “5 Year Plan” strategy that focuses on reforming production and a profitable position in the markets they serve.

What I Learned at the Océ Direct Mail Summit

Published April 27, 2012

We were invited as the guest of Océ to participate in their recent Direct Mail Summit in Boca Raton, Florida. The agenda was focused on understanding how to generate more direct mail business and included both Océ executives and industry experts.

A View Up and Down Print’s Value Chain with HP and O’Neil Data Systems

Published March 12, 2012

We had a unique opportunity recently to get a look at the entire printing industry’s value chain by attending two separate events at O’Neil Data Systems new plant in Plano, Texas. First was HP’s First Look event, which previewed for their customers technology they will be officially in the next few weeks. Second was O’Neil Data Systems’ grand opening of their Plano facility, which gave us an opportunity to meet their customers as well.

Who is your pick for CEO of the Year?

Published May 11, 2011

Think Open House! Dayton's Think Patented holds "Visual Innovations Days 2010"

Published November 24, 2010

Dayton Ohio's Think Patented held an "Visual Innovations Days 2010" open house event and I made the short trip from home to see what was happening. Invited down by long time friend of WhatTheyThink Niels Winther, Think Patented Chairman & Managing Partner, I got a first hand view of what today's successful printer is doing to engage and inspire their customers with innovations and consultative solutions.

OPM Arvato leverages Kodak for digital book production

Published November 15, 2010

WhatTheyThink visits a Kodak open house at OPM in Scranton Pennsylvania to see their Prosper 1000 and 5000XL in action and hear from both Kodak and OPM executives on this new installation which is producing digitally printed books.

Catching Lightning in a Bottle...Twice?

Published October 25, 2010

Long time readers of Print CEO will remember seeing Pazazz Printing CEO Warren Werbitt in the hysterical video "Printing's Alive". We wrote about this nearly 3 years ago now (time flies!) and were obviously big fans of the video and the message. The video currently has over 200,000 views and is still talked about. You could probably consider it a YouTube viral hit within the industry. If you haven't seen it yet, you probably know someone who has and will recommend you watching. Warren and Pazazz are back at it with Printing's Alive 2...but can they catch the same lightning in another bottle?

WhatTheyThink celebrates 10 years!

Published July 12, 2010

WhatTheyThink started 10 years ago this year and we've been reflecting on it and sharing this fact with people in the industry. Most doubted it could be that long, but you know what they say about "overnight successes". They take years! We recently told some of our members that we were celebrating 10 years this year and got their reaction.

Graphic Arts Monthly among titles to be closed by RBI

Published April 16, 2010

In a press release today, Reed Business Information announced the intent to complete the divestment process started in July 2009 by by shuttering 23 remaining titles. Included in the list is the printing industry’s Graphic Arts Monthly and Graphic Arts Blue Book.

USPS delivers for you...but not on weekends?

Published March 3, 2010

The US Postal Service announced several cost cutting initiatives brought on by what they called "unprecedented volume declines" and a projected $238 billion shortfall over the next decade. One item that has people buzzing is a hint at the discontinuation of Saturday delivery. The only question I have is what took them so long?

Articles by Eric Vessels