Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

How Do Consumers’ Attitudes Toward Sustainability Really Impact Retail?

Everywhere you look, brands are promoting their sustainability to woo a public that increasingly cares about the topic. But caring about something and allowing it to influence their shopping decisions are two different things. How much do these values actually impact how consumers buy?

WhatTheyThink Talks with HP’s Haim Levit

In this article, sponsored by HP, WhatTheyThink talks to Haim Levit, Senior Vice President & General Manager, HP Industrial Print, about the major dynamics impacting the industry and how HP is responding to them.

New Software Tools: Gateway to Business Transformation

Transforming your business can happen incrementally by looking at the daily workflows you execute on and finding areas of improvement. New software tools are a great time to transform your workflows.

Printers Look on the Bright Side: Latest drupa Global Trends Report Sheds a Light on Print

A growth in optimism, increased planned investments, and operational challenges are some of the global print trends. European section editor Ralf Schlözer looks at some of highlights of the latest drupa Global Trends Report.

Folding Cartons Digitally Printed and Embellished in One Pass with the KODAK ASCEND Digital Press

In this feature, written and sponsored by Kodak, learn about the new KODAK ASCEND Digital Press, a highly flexible and economical solution for short-run production of paperboard-based packaging.

Sustainable Fibers Gaining Steam

We’ve been writing a great deal about sustainability options for the textiles and apparel industry with the hope that brands and consumers will be inspired to change their wasteful behavior, including getting rid of the fast fashion concept in lieu of longer lasting, more sustainable apparel, use of non-petroleum materials, more local and on-demand production, and more. In today’s article, we take another look at some of the advances in more sustainable fiber that can reduce the industry’s dependence on fossil fuels.

Cannabis and Signage Regulations: Another “Wild West”

With cannabis retail locations now popping up in several states, we’re starting to see more and more signage advertising these locations and their products. And just as it is in packaging, regulations pertaining to cannabis signage are still in a “Wild West” stage and, as you can imagine, vary from state to state.

Around the Web: Plate Pixels. Index In-Depth. Kooky Keyboard. Better Battery. Redirection Revisited. Couch Crying. Hand Holding. COVID Candles. Webb Wolf. Prawn Pillow.

Digital license plates are now legal in California. A new book looks at the history of the index. Google Japan introduces a very long, single-row keyboard. Remembering Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer. A graphene-enhanced “SuperBattery.” NASA’s DART mission to repel an asteroid was a success! A “TikTok influencer” buys a accidentally buys a $100,000 couch “as a joke”; immediately regrets it. “Martha Stewart partners with Liquid Death to release ‘Dismembered Moments’ Candle.” Tracking COVID surges using bad Yankee Candle reviews. The James Webb Space Telescope captures a binary star’s “dust shells.” The Bettli Shrimp Meat U Shaped Neck Pillow. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

August August Printing Shipments

August 2022 shipments came in at $7.16 billion, up quite a bit from July’s $6.67 billion—august business conditions indeed, and reflecting a return to the industry’s regular seasonality.

Print Software Product Spotlight: Web-to-Print Solutions that Adapt to Your Needs with Customer’s Canvas

Sometimes the hardest part of taking advantage of the available marketplace is having tools that work they way you need them to. One size does not fit every situation. That is where Customer’s Canvas comes in. The team at Aurigma work with their clients to craft the web-to-print solution that will work most efficiently for their business.

Challenges and Opportunities in the Production Print Market

In July 2022, Keypoint Intelligence conducted an online survey of 153 print service representatives. This article provides a top-level overview of the participants’ responses about business financials, services and applications, software adoption, and automation.

The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol Is Awarded a USDA Grant for More Than a Million Acres of Sustainable Cotton Production

Textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan does a great job of keeping up with the latest industry news especially as it relates to sustainability. We were pleased to read this post on her site, and thank her for allowing us to reprint it: The U.S. Climate Smart Cotton Program is another example of how textiles in North America, from field, to fiber, to fabric, is working to become more sustainable and this grant awarded by the USDA will help in establishing adoption of climate smart practices on more than one million acres of cotton. Actions like this will be key to more reshoring of textiles to North America.

Integrated Workflows Crossing Multiple Vendors

The building of integrated workflows continues to get more complex and require more, not less, vendors. Your decision-making approach must be balanced between solving specific needs and integration up and downstream.

Thinking of Adding an Office Recycling Program? It’s Not as Easy as You Might Think

Have you considered implementing a company-wide recycling program? As part of a sustainable industry, it’s important for printers to consider. But doing so will take some research. It might not be as easy as you think.

How AlphaGraphics Makes It Happen!

What happens when an international franchise network makes it their mission to give back to the thousands of communities they serve? In this article, sponsored by AlphaGraphics, Pat McGrew takes a close look at AlphaGraphics’ “Make It Happen” campaign, a contest in which three deserving businesses won new branding, graphics, signage, décor, and marketing programs.

What’s Your Sales Backstory?

What’s the story you tell customers about your business? Do you have a narrative that everyone in the company uses or is everyone inventing their own? Here are the reasons to have a company backstory and for salespeople to have their backstories.

Hybrid, Crossover, and Bespoke: Have It Your Way!

Print technology and production methods have been changing along with the changing market requirements. All of this coupled with the “can do nature” of print and packaging service providers, continues to push technology and equipment manufacturers in new ways. David Zwang looks at how new modular component production solutions can be integrated and combined with almost all printing technologies including digital, offset, flexo, screen, and inkjet.

Digitization on the Road to Digitalization. What Is the Difference?

“Digitization” and “digitalization” sound similar, and it is common for people to confuse their meanings. Digitization focuses on the data required to objectively communicate product requirements, while digitalization is the process required to implement that workflow. ColorKarma’s Shoshana Burgett explains how the apparel industry needs both to successfully lower costs, speed product launches, and deliver sustainability targets.

Product Spotlight: Canon imagePRESS V1000 Checks All the Boxes!

Designing a digital press for today’s market requirements can be a challenge. Canon’s latest production digital press is the result of years of customer feedback and engineering ingenuity. It focuses on productivity, cost control, automation, quality, and ease of use, individually and collectively.

The Target Report: Private Equity Pieces Together Print & Packaging—September 2022 M&A Activity

Max Solutions Acquires Ellis, Ironmark Lands Millennium; and more…

Around the Web: Perilous Pictures. Trusted Trademarks. Orbiting OOH. Clever Concrete. Toast Time. Clock Creator. Spit Savior. Sustainable Sneakers. Mars Mania. Ranch Redecoration.

Ugh: malware can hide in images. What are the most trusted brands in the US? Do we really need billboards in space? Graphene-enhanced “smart concrete.” Clever spring clip pin is a thumbtack without the tack bit. China’s “incense clocks.” David Mills, the Internet’s “Father Time,” is retiring. Wax worm saliva can readily degrade plastic. The James Webb Space Telescope takes a close look at Mars. Hidden Valley’s “Ranch Home Collection,” for some reason. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Publishing Establishments—2010–2020

According to the latest, recently released edition of County Business Patterns, in 2020 there were 29,900 establishments in NAICS 511 (Publishing Industries [except Internet]). This represents an increase of 6% since 2010 and increase of 9% since 2016. In macro news, job openings were down 1.1 million in August while hires and separations (quits, dismissals, and layoffs) were generally unchanged.

Interest in Wide-Format Automation Isn’t Always Where You Think It Is

Last month, WhatTheyThink’s Richard Romano and IDC’s Tim Greene presented a wide-format outlook webinar, and a big topic was automation—but not necessarily where you would think. Here are some highlights of that discussion.

Track Textile Sustainability Progress with Texintel’s Eco News

Sometimes—or maybe even most times—it seems like progress toward sustainability and a more circular life cycle moves at a snail’s pace. But behind the scenes, the industry’s suppliers are making amazing progress. Textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan tracks many of these initiatives at Texintel’s Eco News. Here are some recent headlines.

Three Audiences, One Objective “Change”

Change can be difficult. You can make it a little easier by dividing up the constituents and hearing from their unique perspectives, basically giving them the airtime they deserve.

Cannabis Pros and Cons: Both in the Workplace and as a Print and Packaging Opportunity

Some printers are finding new growth in supporting cannabis marketing, communications, and packaging in the cannabis marketplace, but all printers need to be vigilant about the workplace issues brought about by the legalization of cannabis and its derivatives in many states. Contributor Lou Caron provides an overview of these issues.

Executive Q&A with Francis McMahon

We caught up with Francis McMahon, executive vice president at Canon Solutions America, Production Print Solutions, to talk about Canon’s growth areas, tease some new products and technologies, and explain how using the Grateful Dead as a business model has helped Canon succeed in the production inkjet market.

PRINTING United Preview: North American Debuts for Many Wide-Format Products

PRINTING United is slated for on October 19 to 21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. As you may recall from past events, the emphasis of PRINTING United is on the “united” part, as it has been designed to be the venue where all the disparate “silos” of the industry—commercial, wide format, packaging and labels, textiles, industrial—come together under one very large roof. The following round-up is a sampling of the wide-format introductions you’ll find on the show floor.

Gallus One: Gallus and Heidelberg Go Full-On Digital

The integration of Gallus into Heidelberg is beginning to show impressive returns, starting with the Labelfire 340 hybrid press and now the Gallus One digital all-in-one label press, a jointly developed press and ecosystem. This new press is designed for the industry’s digital future and the new normal.

Johnson’s World: Listen, Part 13—Musings, Droppings, Streams, and Flashes

Vague musings, name-dropping, streams of consciousness, and occasional flashes of brilliance...from Johnson’s World.

It’s A Bird! It’s A Plane! It’s...Graphene: Get in on the Ground Floor with Graphene in Textiles

Graphene is a miracle material with the potential to revolutionize textiles. Senior editor Cary Sherburne takes a look at the current state of graphene-enhanced textiles.

Q2 Printing Profits: An End to the Tale of Two Cities?

Printing industry profits plunged during the pandemic peak but rebounded strongly afterward. But after hitting a peak in Q3 of last year, we’re on a downward trend, with annualized profits for Q2 2022 coming in at $3.92 billion, down a tad from $4.68 billion in Q1 2022.

Around the Web: Mammoth Manga. Number Nests. Royal Remaking. Virtual Voiceovers. Railway Redesign. Robot Rehab. Mouse Microbots. Averting Armageddon.

The longest book in existence is not designed to be read. House numbers that double as birdhouses. The arduous task of replacing Queen’s Elizabeth’s image on money, stamps, and products. An AI-powered speech engine for voiceovers. The complex design history of the London Unground map. BiaBrazil to integrate Graphene-Wear technology into women and men’s activewear. RIT researcher develops a humanoid robot that can teach humans tai chi. Swimming microbots clear pneumonia microbes from mice’s lungs. The James Webb Space Telescope captures details of spiral galaxy IC 5332. No need for Bruce Willis: NASA crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid to alter its orbit. A $10,000 first pumpkin spice latte engagement ring. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

The Eco Stories Textile Challenge to Feature at GREEN GRADS: 50+ Graduates with Ideas to Heal The Planet

50+ participants in the GREEN GRADS program shared their ideas to help heal the planet. Each submitted a portfolio with patterns that reflect their environmental concerns and/or love of the natural world, taking into account eco-friendly textiles, dyes, and methods of production. Green Grads is a not-for-profit event, organized with goodwill and with all time given freely. Read the full story.

Simple Strategies for Increased Sustainability

In addition to being the right thing to do, paying attention to increased sustainability can be a key differentiator in the value you offer to your clients and their brands. Sustainability is a system of change that is designed to protect our environment, and businesses of all sizes can play a role. This article explores some simple sustainability efforts that you can take today.

Executive Q&A: 4Over Demonstrates Continued Growth with a Broad Services Portfolio

4Over is the largest trade-only printer in the United States with 10 locations and close to one million square feet of production space and 1,100 employees. The company offers offset, digital, and wide-format printing, covering a wide range of customer applications. Cary Sherburne talks with CEO Shaheen Javadizadeh, who joined the company in 2020 from the enterprise software industry, about company updates and industry insights.

Interactive Print: What’s Working in the Real World? (2022)—Part 2

Summary of the second half of WhatTheyThink’s August 24 webinar “Interactive Print: What’s Working in the Real World (2022),” moderated by Heidi Tolliver-Walker and featuring presenters Joanne Gore of Gore Communications and Joe Zeff of Joe Zeff Design. Part 2 of the wrap-up focuses on Zeff’s presentation on his use of augmented reality in his Pittsburgh-based graphic design business.

Sales-Driven Change

You have change agents: they are your sales team. A group of people who are selling change every day. Use that team to help sell internal change whenever possible.

The Leadership Void

In previous articles, Wayne has discussed the worldwide issue of employee disengagement: what it is, what causes it, and how pervasive it is. This article begins a look at root causes. First up is poor leadership, which stems from poor decisions relative to who gets hired, promoted, and developed as leaders for the future. Effective leaders are the only people in an organization who can change the conditions that lead to disengagement.

Labelexpo Americas 2022 Part 2: The Rise of Digital

Labelexpo cemented the reality that digital is very much on the rise and at lightning speeds. The digital equipment is getting more sophisticated and, more importantly, productive. Digitalization is what will provide the platform for the new normal.

Are Fast Fashion Retailers Heeding Environmental Concerns or Still Trying to Sell More Stuff?

In this space, and across many other industry spokespeople, the call for an end to fast fashion has been resonating loudly. But are the brands and retailers—and consumers—taking this call for a reduction in unnecessary consumption seriously? It seems not.

Stargazing

Who are the sales “stars”? In your business? What qualities make them stars? David Fellman explains how to use those qualities to help motivate your less-stellar employees.

Around the Web: Count Conundrum. Lighting Leech. Floppy Fever. “Armor All”? Stick Solution. Carbon Kicks. Fruity Fashion. Hole Hoard. Ring Revelation.

How long should an article be? “Parasitic signage.” The floppy disk is, improbably, still in great demand. Graphene-based waxes and polishes for car detailing. A hand-crafted book about embroidery that was itself embroidered. Solving the problem of disposable chopsticks. New sneakers made from carbon emissions. A non-Pantone Color of the Year: Apricot Crush. An alternative to the skyscraper. An extensive online catalog of manhole covers from around the world. The Webb Telescope takes new pictures of Neptune. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Pre- and Postpress Establishments—2010–2020

According to the latest, recently released edition of County Business Patterns, in 2020 there were 1,168 establishments in NAICS 32312 (Support Activities for Printing). This represents a decrease of 44% since 2010. In macro news, AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) indicates that demand for design services accelerated in August, boding well for commercial real estate construction and thus signage projects.

Best Practices for Alzheimer’s-Friendly Signage

September is World Alzheimer’s Month—and September 21 was World Alzheimer’s Day—where people and organizations around the globe raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and other kinds of dementia. As part of this awareness, UK-based print and branding company Solopress circulated some best practices for designing and producing Alzheimer’s-friendly signage and display graphics.

The Wallcoverings Industry Is Set for Disruption and John Mark Ltd Is Leading the Field

One of the trends that emerged from the pandemic was an increased focus on décor -- home, office and otherwise. And that included a resurgence in interest in wallpaper. New technologies, including high quality production inkjet printing and equipment designed specifically to output short runs of customized wallpaper, have made it easier than ever before to produce bespoke wallpaper. And designers and producers alike are taking advantage of this trend. In this article, compliments of textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan, we highlight the work of John Mark Watson of John Mark LTD as an inspiration to others.

Changing Your Customer’s Behavior

Your customers require selling even after they are customers. The selling comes in the form of encouraging them to engage with you in a way that is both convenient for them and improves the outcomes of your workflows.

Interactive Print: What’s Working in the Real World? —Part 1

Summary of the first half of WTT’s August 24 webinar “Interactive Print: What’s Working in the Real World (2022),” moderated by Heidi Tolliver-Walker and featuring presenters Joanne Gore of Gore Communications and Joe Zeff of Joe Zeff Design. This article focuses on Gore’s presentation looking at the evolution of QR Codes from misused novelties to truly useful marketing tools and how to use them successfully.

Labelexpo Americas 2022 Part 1: The Times Are Changing

The level of excitement mirrored the general mood of the industry, and “we’re back but different” was the underlying theme of this event. The takeaway was there is no turning back and rapid change is the new normal, with digitalization as the lifeblood of the infrastructure.

What Print Sales Job are You Looking For?

While hiring sales team members requires art and science, at the same time, candidates for sales positions also need a strategy to make sure a particular job is aligned with your abilities. Pat McGrew explains how job-seekers can ensure that they are the best fit for a given position and company.

Fiery Preflight Pro: Troubleshooting Jobs “Within” the Workflow

EFI Fiery DFEs have been driving digital printers for over 30 years. As the digital printers and the market requirements they serve change, there is a need to bring more automated preflight to the production floor to ensure process consistency, EFI has ensured that their DFE meets those challenges with their customers in mind. This includes the newly released Fiery Preflight Pro, available for Fiery FS500 Pro and newer servers.

Czech-based GrapheneUP Jumps into Textiles

As we have been discussing in this space, graphene, a miracle material discovered in 2004, has begun to make inroads into the textiles industry, with a growing number of products that are graphene-enhanced, either with coatings, inks, or covalently bonded to the base fiber. We recently came across Czech-based GrapheneUP, who has added graphene-enhanced inks and coatings for textiles to their product mix.

HP Pagewide T700i Packaging Press: A Lot More than Corrugated Preprint

HP has announced a new PageWide packaging press that has a print width that fits nicely between their existing T400 and T1100 series presses corrugated preprint presses. However, the new T700i is designed for more than just corrugated preprint.

Printing Shipments: July Takes a Tumble

July 2022 shipments came in at $6.68 billion, down from June’s $6.98 billion, as the dog days of summer kicked in.

Around the Web: Blueprint Buddy. Better Bags. Tone Test. Plural Panoply. AI Art. Dead Dialogue. Insect Info. Finger Fun. Noodle Napping.

HP’s SitePrint robot for construction site printing. Graphene-enhanced bags for food storage offer greater strength and less weight and thickness. X-Rite’s quick online color IQ test. Why does English have so many different ways of pluralizing nouns? AI fails at reproducing classic works of art. Creepy AI grandma talks from the dead. Oh, NASA, we beg you not to crowdsource the name of the new Uranus Probe. Telling Queen Elizabeth’s bees about her passing. Lenovo’s new “virtual monitor” glasses. The James Webb Telescope captures a stellar nursery in the Tarantula Nebula. Creating wooden claws that fit over your fingers. A “blanket” based on udon noodles. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Print’s Role in the Digital Transformation

The digital reality has caused a shift in communication strategy, and the focus should be on improving the customer experience with superior interaction. Businesses may feel compelled to ramp up their digital communication strategies in response to consumers’ demands, but print can—and should—play a role in communications of the future. This article explores how printed communications can be used strategically to improve the customer experience.

A Guide to Eco-Friendly, Sustainable Fabric and Textile Printing—Print Customers Are Increasingly Requesting Greener Materials

What's the latest advice for sign and display graphics operations that want to print soft signage more sustainably? In this article written by Ella Faulkner of Soyang Europe, provided compliments of textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan, it is pointed out that public sector spaces are under ever-increasing pressure to offer a sustainable environment filled with sustainable products. So, too, are educational and health facilities. But the biggest market is found in retail where showing off green credentials is demanded by customers. The article explains what types of textile printing are greenest and technologies that can limit waste and reduce water and energy usage.

The Liberation that Comes from Implementing Process

Process or workflow documentation sounds like something only for very large bureaucratic corporations. This is not true. The smallest companies can benefit from process improvement. Your business is a series of processes that are repeated over and over.

In a Data-Driven World, Do Printed Forms Even Matter? Some Say Yes!

Even as we cover increasingly sophisticated digitally driven and data-driven applications, it’s important to remember that traditional business still exists. This includes business forms, and while that business is shrinking, it does still offer profitable pockets of business that commercial printers might want to explore.

What a Designer Can Learn from the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit

ColorKarma’s Shoshana Burgett describes her visit to the Imagine Van Gogh immersive exhibition and explores how the exhibit’s unique approach to providing a user experience can be applied to industry events and consumers’ relationships with brands.

The Target Report Annual Review—August 2022 TTM M&A Activity

Viewed from the perspective of M&A activity in the printing, packaging and related graphic communication industries, we are in a post-pandemic sweet spot, business is going strong, and we are not yet significantly feeling the effect of inflation and rising interest rates. Packaging is still the red-hot segment, fueled by PE-backed roll-ups chasing fewer available top-notch producers. The commercial print, direct mail, and wide format segments are not as active, but desirable candidates attract a lot of attention and deals are getting done; and more…

What Do We Talk About When We Talk about Interactive Signage?

“Interactive signage” is changing from simply providing information to creating immersive experiences. At the same time, the actual mechanism by which a user interacts with a display is changing from simple physical interaction to electronic interaction.

Sparty Mill: Reviving Textile History

Are we starting to see a resurgence in the US textiles and apparel market? In a recent article, we addressed some of the activity relative to localized cut-and-sew operations, the “last mile” for apparel manufacturing. In this article, we take a deeper dive into what Hodges International has done with Sparty Mill to help this resurgence along.

Book Printing Establishments—2010–2020

According to the latest, recently released edition of County Business Patterns, in 2020 there were 379 establishments in NAICS 323117 (Books Printing). This represents a decrease of 29% since 2010. In macro news, highlights from the most recent Federal Reserve “Beige Book.”

Around the Web: Graphene Glut. Contested Contest. Printed Python. Color Commentary. Solar Solution. Tide Tidying. Eyeing Exoplanets. Cup Clarity.

New IDTechEx study finds the global supply of graphene exceeds demand—for now. An art contest winner used AI—fair play or cheating? Flashing back to a terrifying bus wrap from 2010. How did the colors get their names? Why is Dante the father of the Italian language—or William Caxton the father of English? “Solar trees” for EV charging. A “floating waste collector” drone for cleaning up the ocean. The James Webb Space Telescope took its first photo of a planet outside the solar system. A design for an easier-to-read measuring cup. Oscar Mayer has introduced a combination hot dog/popsicle, for reasons passing understanding. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Meet Lily Elo: First Class Honors BA (Hons) Textile Design Graduate in 2022 at Nottingham Trent University

As part of our ongoing series featuring the next generation of textile designers compliments of textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan, we welcome you to read about Lily Elo. Her current project INTERFERENCE focuses on the phenomena of light interference creating an iridescent color spectrum.

HP Introduces the Advantage Inkjet Platform and It’s Brilliant!

In 2006, HP commercialized its “Scalable Printing Technology,” and in 2008 they introduced the PageWide T300 production inkjet press. Now, 14 years later, with the benefit of a lot of company and customer experience, they are introducing a newly designed high performance press platform.

All Arise! Americas Print Show Hints at the Future of Events

The inaugural Americas Print Show was held August 17–19, in Columbus, Ohio, and while it had some hiccups, the general consensus, from exhibitors and attendees, was that it was a worthwhile event. What does this tell us about the future of industry events?

Sleep Number Sees 44% Incremental Sales Increases with Retargeted Direct Mail

For Sleep Number, direct mail retargeting is nothing new. A switch to a new partner, however, has turbo-charged its success, and it is now seeing 44% incremental sales rates.

Your Building Foundation vs. Your Software/Digital Foundation

Physical foundation has been our collective focus for decades. The print industry creates physical products using physical machines. Digital foundation is our new differentiator: data and systems create new business opportunities and enable you to run your business more efficiently.

Who Are You Hiring for Sales?

Hiring sales team members requires art and science. Pat McGrew talks about adopting a hiring strategy that is in sync with your sales goals.

The First Graduates of the Mariano Rivera Foundation Printing Vocational Training Program Are Ready

The Mariano Rivera Foundation brings mentorship, life skills, STEM education, and vocational training to at-risk youth. Thanks to support from industry vendors such as EFI, KonicaMinolta, Ricoh, Idealliance, Printing United Alliance, and Adobe, it will funnel much needed talent into the printing industry, as well. Heidi Tolliver-Walker provides an update on the first class of graduates.

Graphic Arts Employment Up Slightly in July

In July 2022, all printing employment was up +0.7% from June. Production employment was up 0.2% and non-production employment was up 1.8%.

Around the Web: Problematic Print. Mail Merch. Code Complaints. Display Developments. Textile Tech. Meteorology Melee. Cream Confusion. Galaxy Gazing. Table Tournament. Gravy Grappling.

What is a print-based physical disability? Play the USPS’s new Great American Mail Race board game. What is the future of QR code menus? The Bigme InkNote Color brings E Ink devices closer to competing with LED-based tablets. AI illustrates lyric music videos. New graphene-based “smart textiles” hit the market. Hungary punishes inaccurate meteorologists. No, New York State has not banned selling whipped cream to minors. The James Webb Space Telescope does a Cartwheel. “Competitive table setting.” Gravy wrestling is back! All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Printing with a Higher Purpose: Women’s Press Collective

Contributor Patrick Henry profiles a Bronx-based, all-volunteer organization that demonstrates why print remains foremost among the media as a force for social good.

Direct-to-Garment Printers Are Blurring the Lines Between Commercial and Industrial

If you’ve been paying attention to some of this year’s new DTG printer launches, you may have noticed that the traditional gap between commercial and industrial printers appears to be closing. Today’s DTG devices are delivering faster printing speeds, better print accuracy, and more advanced technologies—all with a smaller footprint and a lower price tag. This article offers a brief overview of the devices that are blurring the lines between commercial and industrial printers.

The Lighthearted Side of QR Codes

Even as the use of QR codes has become normalized thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, we still see some pretty bone-headed implementations. A look at three use cases in light of three important best practices.

US Debut & Launch of Super Lightweight Magnetic Cylinder Aluminum by Rotometal at LabelExpo Americas

In this article, written and sponsored by Rotometal, learn about the company that will make its North American debut at the LabelExpo Americas 2022 event and launch their super lightweight Magnetic Cylinder Aluminum.

Requesting a Demo of Print Software

The software demo is typically a key to the decision-making part of the sales process. Your definition of your core challenges before the demo can greatly influence ROI outcomes in the future.

Selling to Lapsed Customers

Do you have accounts who used to be profitable, high-volume customers but haven’t ordered from you in a while? Pat McGrew explains how to bring lapsed customers back into the fold.

A Matter of Responsibility: Know Why You’re Checking in on Your Clients

It is never the buyer’s responsibility to communicate with the seller. It is always the seller’s responsibility to communicate with the buyer. Contributor Dave Fellman explains how to establish a “contact interval” for your most important customers.

A U.S. Cut-and-Sew Boom?

One of the key barriers to reshoring textiles and apparel has been the lack of sewing talent, the final mile, if you will, of localized apparel and home décor manufacturing. Recently we have seen a number of new cut-and-sew operations pop up across the nation, an encouraging sign for the future of the American textiles and apparel industry.

Get on the Same Page: Pre-Call Prep Leads to Better Prospect Meetings

Most salespeople agree that advance prep for important prospect meetings is a precursor for successful call outcomes—and the statistics confirm that sellers can gain at least a 20% bump in productivity through consistent pre-call work. Contributor Lisa Magnuson explains how to effectively prep for your sales call.

Screen Printing Establishments—2010–2020

According to the latest, recently released edition of County Business Patterns, in 2020 there were 5,563 establishments in NAICS 323113 (Commercial Screen Printing). This represents an increase of 25% since 2010. In macro news, 2Q GDP revised up to -0.6%.

Around the Web: Preserving Painting. Brand Bios. Denim Dyeing. Golden Graphene. Drought Displays. Phone Fun. Rainless Rides. Mill Meal. Hair Hoopla. Spicy Smooching.

Keeping the art of traditional sign painting alive. A comprehensive book on the history of brand logos. A new, more sustainable approach to blue jeans production. “Graphene turns rubbish into gold, literally.” Record droughts are revealing all sorts of hitherto hidden relics in the world’s bodies of water. An interactive site where you can design the next iPhone. “Would you eat a windmill?” NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captures new detailed images of Jupiter. The USA Mullet Championship, for some reason. “The practical utility of equipping cats with laser beams.” Applebee’s new chicken wing sauce flavored lip gloss. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Textile Technology Highlights S/S 2022: Trailblazing Innovations and New Developments

With the return of in-person trade shows and events in 2022, suppliers to the industry have plenty of technical developments on display, and the industry is poised to see accelerated growth and a continuing transition to digital technologies. In this article, textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan highlights a few of them.

ISA’s Upcoming Sign Manufacturing Day Offers Sign Businesses Employee Recruitment Opportunities

On October 7, sign companies will have an excellent opportunity to potentially attract new and young talent to their businesses. Every year, on the International Sign Association’s (ISA) Sign Manufacturing Day, participating sign shops host open houses, facility tours, and hands-on demonstrations for students to show them the opportunities that exist in the sign business.

Study: Getting Personalization Right

Movable Ink’s second annual Audience of One consumer survey has many takeaways. It continues to confirm what we’ve known for a long time: Consumers want you to market to an audience of one. But it has some other takeaways about customer loyalty and customer preferences related to product purchases that are just as important.

Finding the Critical Path in Your Assembly Line

You run a print factory, you have an assembly line—find the critical path, then find what’s standing between you and your cash flow. Don’t be surprised if it's way upstream of your press.

In the Driver’s Seat: Increasing Print Business with Augmented Reality

It’s finally happened. Print and marketing firms are incorporating augmented reality (AR) into their marketing tool kits. Not just for fan engagement and brand building, but as a business problem-solving and revenue-driving solution. Far from AR competing with print, it’s driving it. Contributor Heidi Tolliver-Walker looks at several case studies that launched AR experiences from print.

Mapping the Future of the European Paper Market

The current paper shortage and price rises are the result of long-term trends in the paper industry that got upended by the pandemic and the recovery. European section editor Ralf Schlözer looks at the current situation, how we got here, and if and when paper problems will be alleviated.

QR Codes: Teleporting Print Into the Metaverse

By making it easier for people to engage with print via a simple, interactive element, QR codes bridge the physical with the digital, teleporting them to their destination in an easy and fun way. Contributor Joanne Gore explains how QR codes transform print from a commodity to a high-value communications tool capable of linking to videos, landing pages, special offers, podcasts, and more.

How Serious Is the Fashion Industry about Sustainability? And What Role Does Trade Journalism Play?

In this space, we have had a great deal of discussion about sustainability, supply chain, and the need for dramatic change in the textiles and apparel industry. In today’s article, we look at some of the important research and journalistic organizations that are helping drive this change, the important role they play, and some of their upcoming events.

Printing Shipments: The Best June Since the Before Times

June 2022 shipments came in at $6.98 billion, up a tad from May’s $6.96 billion. This is the best June the industry has had since 2019—although it’s well below that month’s $7.54 billion.

Around the Web: Paper Properties. Sign Slight. Tape Trick. Choice Charging. Dog Design. Bubble Ballad. Termite Taste. Pumpkin Palate. Candle Cuisine. Mollusk Minder.

Zapping a Gutenberg Bible with X-rays to see if Gutenberg learned about printing from Korea. Magnetic signage helps Mexican street food vendors circumvent new sign prohibitions. Converting Scotch tape packaging into a tape dispenser. Dell’s graphene-enhanced wireless charging clip. A typeface in which each letter is a dog. A music box that plays music by popping Bubble Wrap. Will 100,000 termites eat fast food? Taste test Trader Joes autumn food products and earn $1,000. Ultrarealistic candles that look like food. Immobilize your toddler with Walmart’s octopus baby outfit. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Why Are Live Workshops So Powerful? We Interview Jason Burroughs of Perfect Colours to Find Out More

Live events are back in play and here to stay! They support and connect the print community by providing a window of opportunity where networking and the transfer of knowledge go hand-in-hand. Textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan talks with Jason Burroughs, Managing Director of Perfect Colours, about why their workshops offer the visitor such a valuable experience.

Print Buyers: Fitting Into a Digital World

Earlier this month, Keypoint Intelligence published the findings from its in-depth survey of over 200 print buyers in the United States. This article offers a high-level overview of our survey results to illuminate print’s changing role in the overall ecosystem.

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