Interviews with Industry Executives, Commentary & Analysis from WhatTheyThink Contributors and other video features.
David Zwang talks to Jeff Peterson, Executive Director of the Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA), about the educational resources the association offers the industry. FSEA has also just announced the establishment of the Digital Embellishment Alliance (DEA), a new association dedicated to the growing digital embellishment segment of the printing industry. Watch Video
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. Watch Video
Rob Bullen, Label Production Manager for Calyx Containers, talks to David Zwang at the recent Labelexpo Americas show. Calyx Containers specializes in producing square childproof containers for the cannabis industry—they make the container via injection molding, print labels, and ship them to customers. The company has HP Indigo digital printing equipment, as well as digital embellishment and laser cutting capabilities. Calyx is looking to expand into other markets. Watch Video
Mark Schlimme from SCREEN Americas talks about the launch of SCREEN’s new user group, and discusses the advantages for SCREEN customers as well as upcoming events. Watch Video
Erica Yngve founded Sonora Stitch Factory a couple years ago in Tucson and acquired two existing businesses. She has about 150 sewing machines to address a wide range of cut-and-sew applications, from apparel and home decor to boat and airplane interiors. Due to the difficulty in sourcing local sewing skills, she has also established a training program for sewists, to benefit both her business and others in the area that require these skills. This is another example of a start-up that is helping to reshore the North American textile industry. Watch Video
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. Watch Video
Keypoint Intelligence’s Greg Cholmondeley gives us an update on the latest industry trends—including a renewed sense of optimism as we head through 2022 and into 2023. Watch Video
Frank is intrigued by a book produced in 1983 by graphic designers Milton Glaser and Jean Michel Folon called "A Conversation." The book is all images; one of the designers began an image and the other finished it. Seemingly printed on one long continuous sheet of paper, it folds out to over 19 feet long. (Frank and his detectives figured out how it was actually produced.) It, perhaps literally, stretches the definition of book. Watch Video
This week, Warren talks with Kennickell Group VP Kacey Kennickell Ray and VP of Sales Andrew Smith, the fourth generation of Kennickells to move into leadership positions. The company has evolved over its long life, from traditional commercial printing to wide format and direct mail. They still have 40-inch offset equipment but have been expanding digitally, having recently installed a Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1 high-speed inkjet press. They are also having a lot of fun. Watch Video
Kodak’s Jeff Zellmer talks about some of Kodak’s recent product introductions, including two new Prosper high-speed inkjet presses—the Prosper Ultra 520 and the 1,345-ft./min. Prosper 7000—as well as the Ascend Digital Press, a toner-based machine that also adds embellishments. Watch Video
Kevin Karstedt talks to David Zwang about the history of packaging consultancy Karstedt Partners, which helps companies bring new and disruptive technologies to the market. They work with OEMs as well as brands and businesses throughout the label and packaging supply chain. It was recently announced that Karstedt Partners was acquired by Keypoint Intelligence. Watch Video
WhatTheyThink's Eric Vessels chats with Ford Bowers, CEO of PRINTING United Alliance, about the upcoming PRINTING United Expo in Las Vegas October 19-21. The anticipation for the big North American trade show has been building and Ford provides a comprehensive overview of what to expect. Watch Video
Noam Zilbershtain, VP and GM of HP Indigo, talks to David Zwang at the recent Labelexpo about the HP Indigo V12 Digital Press for labels and flexible packaging. Watch Video
Bindtech is a postpress service provider that offers a wide range of binding and finishing services for both hardcover and softcover books. Bindtech’s Chad Dillon shows “Simply Bourbon,” a coffee table book that features an elaborate three-piece cover incorporating debossing, foil stamping, and a real piece of laser-etched wood. Bindtech was showing even more exotic binding examples at last August’s Americas Print Show. Watch Video
David Zwang talks to Jeremy Letterman, COO of Brook+Whittle, a Guilford, Conn.-based prime label printer with 15 locations across the US. They specialize in pressure sensitive and shrink labels as well as flexible packaging, operating a mix of digital (mostly HP), flexo, and rotogravure equipment. Letterman attended Labelexpo Americas to investigate the latest digital label printing technologies, and especially embellishments. Watch Video
David Zwang talks to Tanner Brooks, general manager of Natural State Labels, at Labelexpo Americas. Founded in 2018, Natural State Labels is 100% digital, running two HP Indigo 6900 Digital Presses and three HP Indigo 8000s. They started off in pressure sensitive labels and had so much success they have since expanded into wine labels, adding hot stamping and embossing capabilities and shrink sleeves. Flexible packaging is in the company’s future. Watch Video
Frank tells a tale of three books, each with 50,000 words and none of those words use the letter e. Ernest Wright’s book “Gadsby” in 1939 was the first, followed by Georges Perec’s 1969 “La Disparition” in French and its English translation “The Void” translated by Gilbert Adair. Try writing a sentence without the letter e. It’s not easy. (Obviously the authors’ names didn’t count.) Watch Video
Deanne Sinclair of Cambridge Label talks to David Zwang at last week’s Labelexpo. A family business founded in 1998 and based in Cambridge, Ont., Cambridge Label is a trade label business specializing in pressure sensitive labels and shrink sleeves. The company started with flexo equipment and in 2013 ventured into digital to take advantage of the short- to mid-size label market. Watch Video
David Zwang talks to Cor Label’s Bryan Dolbow at last week’s Labelexpo. Cor Label was founded in August 2020 “from scratch,” the founders having no background in the label business. Armed with an HP Indigo 6K and a finisher, the company produces labels, flexible packaging, and shrink sleeves for customers in the nutraceutical and craft brewing markets in North, Central, and South America. Watch Video
David Mauro from All Covered, a provider of cybersecurity services, shares some scary cybersecurity breaches and explains why it’s important for companies to have effective safeguards in place. Watch Video
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