Cohoes, NY – Mohawk, North America’s largest privately-owned manufacturer of fine papers, envelopes and specialty substrates for commercial and digital printing, celebrates the fifth anniversary of Mohawk MakeReady, an online community for digital print service providers at Graph Expo 2016, September 25-28 in Orlando, Florida

Mohawk MakeReady, which launched at Graph Expo 2011, is designed to give digital printers practical tools and actionable guidance to help them meet their business objectives. Visitors to the site can easily browse content by relevant topic or typeincluding a popular downloads section. Mohawk’s goal in creating the site was to provide straightforward strategies that printers can implement immediately for their customers. 

Content on Mohawk MakeReady varies from perspectives from industry leaders, case studies about marketing a successful printing business, concise videos on topics such as operational efficiency, and presentations and articles that showcase solutions to maximizing social media efforts and identifying sales opportunities. Additionally, the site offers design-ready die-lines and templates and equipment compatibility charts to support Mohawk’s broad line of specialty digital substrates. All content is designed to be concise and practical, and new topics are added weekly.

“When we launched MakeReady in 2011, our goal was to leverage Mohawk’s knowledge, relationships and experience as a leader in digital substrates to help digital printers make more efficient use of their time, materials, people and entrepreneurial spirit,” says Joe Schember, Product Manager, Digital Specialty & Paper, Mohawk.

The site has experienced significant growth since its inception, showing increases in page views and visitors, including an impressive 60% increase in visitors and 1,300% increase in membership since 2011. 

“Five years later, we’re pleased that the community has expanded to include paper merchants, graphic designers, marketing professionals, brand owners, students and educators, and we’re pleased that the site’s content continues to receive positive feedback from the graphic arts industry worldwide. We encourage anyone who may not be familiar with the Mohawk MakeReady community to join us as we continue to grow and deliver valuable industry insight,” Schember continues.

Print Service providers and members of the graphic arts industry describe how MakeReady has helped their businesses grow and thrive: 

“MGI Digital technology marketing, sales and technical teams have all learned more about paper & substrate application opportunities from Mohawk MakeReady than from any other source.”

-          Jack Noonan, Marketing Coordinator, MGI Digital Technology 

“Mohawk continues strengthening their industry position as a highly valuable resource for information and creative inspiration for the graphic arts supply chain through MakeReady. Their dedicated team is always on trend with what’s next in printing and marketing, and the site provides a wealth of free knowledge that consistently inspires me.”

-          Deborah Corn, Print Media Centr

“Comprehensive, informative and fun, is how I would describe Mohawk MakeReady. In our environment, where digital media and workflows are converted into physical products, Mohawk MakeReady has become a go-to resource as I navigate an ever-expanding market of new products and technologies.”

-          Matt Rees, Sr. Strategy Development Manager, Vistaprint Corporate Solution 

“Mac Papers has found MakeReady to be an excellent resource and I highly recommend printers utilize the Equipment Compatibility section. This is an easy reference guide to verify the wide selection of substrates for their digital press. As this segment of digital paper expands, Mohawk keeps current with the new technologies in qualifying substrates, so it is always up to date. In addition, there are many educational tools that print service providers can reference to generate ideas for their customers thus creating new revenue streams. If you have not already done so, bookmark MakeReady.”

-          David Schaffer, Product Manager, Digital Papers and Substrates, Mac Papers

“Mohawk MakeReady provides an easy-to-use avenue for inspiration and application ideas that help Konica Minolta digital press users grow their business and leverage their technology investment. Konica Minolta also uses MakeReady to download templates to produce great looking samples at all of our open houses and trade shows.”

-          Dawn Nye, Solutions and Services Marketing Manager, Konica Minolta Business Solutions 

“Mohawk MakeReady was truly the first of its kind. A valuable, no-nonsense resource giving real world tips and information that its readers can easily put to use.”

-          Lisa DiBacco, DiBacco + Company 

“Mohawk MakeReady provides great information on digital printing. My favorite section of the site focuses on case studies demonstrating innovative uses of substrates across a range of applications. Any service provider will benefit from a close look at this and other materials on the site, including videos with industry thought leaders.”

-          Jim Hamilton, Group Director, InfoTrends

Mohawk will exhibit in booth #2413 within the Material Matter pavilion at Graph Expo 2016. Mohawk’s presence in the pavilion aligns with the brand’s Maker Campaign, celebrating the role that well-crafted materials play in the print ecosystem, and supports the brand’s leadership position in the digital print industry.

Members of the graphic arts industry interested in learning more about Mohawk MakeReady or joining the community should visit https://www.mohawkconnects.com/makeready/.