Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

Price Hikes in Online Print

It feels like there is an incessant stream of price increases for plates, inks, energy, and paper, but what impact have these had on print prices? European section editor Ralf Schlözer looks at print pricing trends among the European online printing companies.

Freedom Leverages the Power of Digital for More Effective, Profitable Direct Marketing

In this feature, sponsored by HP, we explore how HP PageWide production inkjet printing systems have benefited leading direct marketing firm Freedom, based in Milton, Wisconsin. The company was an early adopter of production inkjet printing and now has three HP PageWide production inkjet presses installed.

Is Graphene a Key to Reaching Net Carbon Zero? This Panel Thinks So

I recently watched a very interesting panel discussion about graphene, its many uses, some of the challenges and barriers to market adoption, and the great work that a number of companies are doing to accelerate market adoption across a variety of industries. Why is this important? Graphene Council Executive Director Terrance Barkan sums it up: “The whole world is looking at how do we get to net carbon zero, and it is clear that legacy materials will not get us there. We need much better performance out of all of our materials, and graphene is so versatile across so many different application areas that it really is an important element of getting us to that net zero goal.”

Printing Industry Annual Payroll—2010–2019

According to County Business Patterns, in 2010, US establishments in NAICS 323 had an annual payroll of $20.2 billion. Payrolls dipped during and in the aftermath of the Great Recession. They rose, at least on a current dollar basis, over the latter half of the decade, coming in at $20.7 billion in 2019. However adjusting for inflation, payrolls declined by -13% over the course of the decade. In macro news: forecasters are not expecting a happy Q1 GDP report.

Around the Web: Caption Cursing. DALL-E Drawing. Dash Delight. Poem Pageant. Shape Shifting. Disease Detective. Dull Day. Speaking Spores.

Automatic speech recognition systems add age-inappropriate captions to children’s YouTube videos. An AI technology that will let you create digital images by describing what you want to see. In praise of the em dash. Celebrating the 100th anniversary of T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land.” Improving the recyclability of flexible plastic packaging. Graphene may save lives. Required reading: “The Price of Nails Since 1695.” What was statistically the most boring day in history? Mushrooms speak! A mobile phone umbrella, for some reason. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s dead serious weekly miscellany.

Cardiff School of Art and Design Invests in the HP Stitch S300 to Expand Their Textile Department

A critical factor in the future of textiles and apparel is the education of new talent in the world’s fashion and design schools. Increasingly, these schools are bringing in digital technologies, including digital textile printing, to prepare their students for the changing world they will be entering. Cardiff School of Art and Design is one of the schools that is doing just that, as explained in this article compliments of textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan.

How Seriously Do You View Yourself As a Leader?

In a talent market where demand exceeds supply and our industry is learning to compete for new people, leadership has never been more important. Does your ability to be an effective leader help or hinder your success in attracting new, young talent? Wayne Lynn looks at this issue from the perspective of a potential new hire. You may want to read this…

Canon Acquires edale to Bridge the Digital-Analog Divide

This week, Canon announced the acquisition of 100% of the shares of edale, a manufacturer and OEM of narrow web printing presses and finishing equipment, including flexo carton web presses, label and packaging flexo presses, and web finishing equipment. European section editor Ralf Schlözer looks at how the acquisition will help bolster Canon’s presence in the label and packaging market.

Print Business Constraints

Constraints have always been present in our print businesses. Today, new ones seem to be getting introduced at what can feel like an alarming rate. Understanding how you can put you and your business in a position to respond to new constraints is the differentiator.

Looking for a Sustainable Printer That Walks the Walk

Ambika Anand Prokop is the author of Greenfeet Guides, a growing series of travel guides for parents who want to help their children more deeply and emotionally engage with cultures and landscapes around the world. She has also been on a sustainability journey that has led her to understand the value of evaluating printers based not just on their website claims, but on in-person conversations.

The Target Report: Label Roll-Ups are Red Hot; Are Folding Cartons Next?—March 2022 M&A Activity

Lewisburg Printing Acquires, H.I.G. Rebrands Flexible Packaging Platform as DazPak, and more…

Where is the Sales Grass Greener?

No matter how deeply you believe they rely on your services or how perfect your solutions may be, the road to successful sales begins with a relationship. Pat McGrew explains how to create an environment where the sales team operates at the highest levels.

Where Did All the Paper Go? The European Paper Crisis by the Numbers

European section editor Ralf Schlözer looks at paper price and production data to try to get at the root cause(s) of the paper shortages faced by European printing companies.

Xeikon Update: New Developments in Labels and Packaging

Xeikon recently held a press briefing where it announced it will be holding a special Xeikon Café around developments in labels in light of the cancellation of Labelexpo Europe. Senior editor Cary Sherburne some highlights from that briefing.

Fossil Fashion: A License to Greenwash?

In this space, we have written about the damage Fast Fashion—the creation of inexpensive garments that are often worn once or twice and then tossed—does to the environment. Now let’s take it a step further and expand the concept to Fossil Fashion—clothing made with petroleum-based feedstocks, estimated at more than 60% of today’s production—and how the fashion industry is hiding behind so-called sustainability initiatives that are actually not sustainable at all.

Using Augmented Reality (AR) to Generate Revenue

Augmented reality is no longer a niche technology used for entertainment and brand-building. It has evolved into a true revenue-generating tool. For printers looking for opportunities to build new revenue streams, AR has arrived.

Around the Web: Linedock Lamp. Circular Storybooks. Cornea Cleverness. Creative Cancelling. Brain Boosting. Poster Panoply. Coin Cuisine. Block Battle.

A Ukrainian designed lamp to benefit Ukraine. CAD-designed 360-degree pop-up books. A contact lens-based display. Delivering medications via (different) contact lenses. Using carbon monoxide to synthesize high-quality graphene. Dyson introduces combination noise-cancelling headphones/particulate-cancelling air purifier. Turns out no one really wants IQ-enhancing brain implants. However, a brain implant helps a “locked in” ALS patient communicate. A special exhibition of Krautrock concert posters. A new documentary featuring Mel Brooks pays tribute to the automat. A vacuum that sucks and sorts LEGOs. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s dead serious weekly miscellany.

Now it Can be Told: Why Printing Shipments Declined! (April Fools 2022 Edition)

In this exclusive report, we found a modest positive relationship between the decline in average consumption of margarine and the value of printing shipments.

Discover How White Ink Technology from HP Is Pushing the Boundaries of Interior Decor to Create New Applications for Print

In this article, textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan shares a summary of a recent webinar with a panel discussion about how the business of interior decor has changed, the influence of digital textile printing, and the value of a printing system that includes white ink.

Workflow Automation Product Spotlight: EFI Fiery JobFlow—Job Prep and Prepress Automation Made Easy

Automated workflows are discussed a lot, yet the vast majority of print service providers still don’t have a comprehensive job preparation and prepress automation workflow in their operation. Fiery JobFlow is an easy to install and easy to use solution.

Times of Uncertainty: What Does the Future Hold for the Printing Industry?

Shifts during uncertain times can bring challenges, but they can also create new opportunities. This article explores some printing trends which, while not new themselves, are accelerating at an unprecedented pace and poised to change our industry forever.

Paper Shortages: What’s Behind the Problem and What Can We Do?

PIASC President Lou Caron takes an in-depth look at the paper shortage the printing industry is currently facing, tracing its origins in pre-pandemic trends, and looking ahead to the possible end game.

Could a “Workation” Policy Help You Retain Employees?

As the printing industry struggles to maintain a pipeline of new talent, keeping the talent we have becomes all the more important. A new survey on the value of “workations” illustrates one simple way that print providers can retain the talent they have.

Gutenberg One: The Book-of-One Produced On-Site

European section editor Ralf Schlözer looks at the Gutenberg One, a compact and fully self-contained printing and binding unit for books, small and affordable enough to be placed in a wide range of locations.

Print MIS Product Spotlight: PressWise

Jennifer Matt takes an in-depth look at PressWise by SmartSoft, a print MIS built simply as a system to remove touchpoints in a digital printing workflow.

Hybrid Presses: Bobst and the Next Wave

At Labelexpo in 2019, there was a smattering of hybrid presses, but since then the market for hybrid presses has grown with a proliferation of hybrid presses from many manufacturers. At that event, Bobst showed the Master DM5, their first take at a digital/flexo hybrid, which they identified as an “All in One” press. Over the years, they have enhanced the design and interface based on early customer feedback. The result is the just-released updated Digital Master 340 and Digital Master 510.

Did We Learn Anything? When It Comes to Human Resources, It’s All About Quality, Not Quantity

It can be difficult to hire great people right now, especially if you’re not willing to view your human resources as an investment rather than a cost. But that mindset does make it easier. Contributor David Fellman encourages an attitude change.

The Best Color Management Training Options

Alder Color Solutions’ Dan Gillespie details the resources available for print businesses to become more knowledgeable about color and color management.

PGSF Gears Up for More Expansive Role: An Exclusive Update

There are certain people who give selflessly back to the printing industry, and are often involved in a wide variety of activities to support us all, a lot of it on a volunteer basis. Sometimes we wonder how they do it. No question, Jules Van Sant is one of those people! We caught up with her between meetings and flights to learn more about one of her activities, the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation.

Outdoor Advertising Employees—2010–2019

According to County Business Patterns, in 2010, there were 24,534 employees in NAICS 541850 (Outdoor Advertising). This NAICS actually grew post-Great Recession, with a slight decline mid-decade before climbing back up to 27,620 establishments in 2017. 2018 and 2019 saw a drop in employees. In macro news: AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) indicates that demand for design services continues to grow, boding well for commercial real estate construction and thus signage projects.

Around the Web: Meme Memorial. Clever Cup. Ballpoint Brilliance. Vest Value. Ring Wrangling. Light Longevity. Bone Benefits. Playing Portably.

RIP Stephen Wilhite, father of the GIF. A recyclable, reusable, lidless, strawless beverage cup. Stunning ballpoint pen art. A special deal on USB graphene heated vests. A map showing the latest sunrise times if DST were made permanent. How to fold plastic shopping bags for easy storage. A two-piece engagement/wedding ring that is assembled during the wedding. The longest-burning lightbulb is in Livermore, Calif. Bones are more complex than we thought. A portable, rollable AI-driven chessboard, and a set of playing cards than can turn into a chess board. A glowing ceramic tardigrade night light. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Image360 Plymouth Brings Art and Experience to Health Care Facilities

Image360 Plymouth unique niche—art-based experiential graphics for health care facilities—has opened the door to some unique projects, and the center is always looking to push the boundaries.

Educating the Next Generation: The Creatives in Residence Final Showcase

A little over six months ago, four young graduates joined the “Creatives in Residence” project based at the CMYUK demonstration facility in Shrewsbury. After a difficult two years with little access to their university facilities from 2020-2021 the CIRL initiative presented a unique opportunity to explore digital manufacturing technologies and build their commercial knowledge. In this article, textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan summarizes the results of the initiative.

The Mariano Rivera Foundation: The Bridge Between Under-Served Students and the Printing Industry Workforce

In the United States, more than one in five children live in poverty. In the printing industry, finding qualified employees and maintaining the pipeline of new talent into the workforce remains one of the top challenges. A bridge between the two is the Mariano Rivera Foundation. Heidi Tolliver-Walker explains the benefits of this foundation, and what it can mean for finding the next generation of industry employees.

Branding for the Future: How to Engage and Educate Tomorrow’s Print and Packaging Workforce

David Zwang takes a look at the personnel shortage in the printing industry, and some ways of overcoming it. Market outreach and education is an important requirement, and it is the shared responsibility of the manufacturers, print service providers, suppliers, and industry associations.

When IT Drives Operational Decisions

When I think about operations in a print business, I think about the end-to-end business process “order entry to invoice.” The operations of getting jobs out the door and cash in the bank as another way to put it. This business process encompasses a lot of different functional areas of your business, many people, and a handful of software technologies.

Does Shopping in the Metaverse Affect You?

Sixty percent of Gen Zers want to shop in the metaverse. What on earth does that mean? How does it apply to printers?

What D’Ya Know About Your Software Investments?

Software is the hidden infrastructure in every business. Without a common understanding in both the business and production teams that installed software tools are to be used and not circumvented, the business cannot have a clear understanding of inbound orders, scheduling, work-in-progress, bottlenecks, shipments, and invoicing. Pat McGrew explains how to get everyone on board.

The State of Print in Academic Libraries

A new Library Journal report on the state of academic libraries finds that COVID accelerated the downsizing of print collections as budgets were reallocated to expanding electronic resources.

Pack Expo East: This Is Where the Printing Goes!

Shifts in consumer purchasing, will continue to have an impact on packaging growth due to disruptions in the supply chain, shifts in consumer purchasing, and labor availability forcing consumer packaging groups (CPGs) to think about how they can be more efficient at what they do. Automation and even robots are a big part of the answer.

Johnson’s World—I Call Nonsense: Let’s Dissect Some Internet Tropes

Steve Johnson calls out some nonsense—and what better place to start than the internet, home of social media, which is unequalled for nonsense.

Reading Printed Books Is Good for You—and Your Grades

Research based on the latest PISA educational survey results shows that readers of printed books read more, enjoy reading more, understand texts better, and are likely to have better grades. This confirms previous studies on the advantages of printed books in education.

The Current State of Plastics Recycling

Plastic waste is a significant environmental problem for the world. But the good news is that new technologies, from design through end of life, are making it easier to recycle plastics and have them be a good citizen in the circular economy. The ultimate goal is to eliminate plastic waste. In this interview, we speak with Kara Pochiro, the Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs at the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) about the ins and outs of plastic recycling.

January Shipments: Let’s Get This Year Right

January 2022 shipments came in at $6.64 billion, down from December’s $7.09 billion. We’re starting the year better than we did 2021 and reverting back to our normal seasonality trends.

Around the Web: Lasting Letraset. Fabulous Fiberboard. Pod Power. Criticizing Classics. Sharing Shaming. Plug Portability. Bee Bricks. Bright Bread. Ear Edibles.

Remember Letraset? There is now an online store dedicated to dry transfer type. Bullish forecasts for digital textile printing. The history of corrugated cardboard. Stephen Colbert’s NFT heist movie trailer. 3D-printed living pods made from graphene-infused cement. Now-classic 20th-century novels weren’t always well-received when first published. Netflix’s new passive-aggressive crackdown on password sharing. A unique approach to portable electric outlets. Construction options that benefit local pollinators. Yukiko Morita’s handmade Bread Lamps are real bread with LEDs inside. Mike Tyson’s new bitten-ear-shaped cannabis edibles. A human slinky! All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Better People Decisions

Attracting top talent to your business in this labor market is not for the weak. It helps if you have an employee value proposition that resonates with prospective new hires. How you make hiring, promotion, and development decisions is a key factor in not only making good decisions for your business but can function as a differentiator in the market as you compete for talent. Wayne Lynn weighs in on this issue and has helpful thoughts to consider.

Direct-to-Film Printing: An Emerging Trend in Decorated Apparel

Direct-to-film (DTF) printing is a transfer technology that enables users to print designs onto polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film using water-based pigment inks. This article offers an overview of this up-and-coming technology and also explores how it compares to other printing techniques.

Powering the Design Function for Customized Apparel and Sportswear Production With CorelDRAW

It seems that everything is accelerating these days, and the apparel business is not immune. Digital technologies help brands address both acceleration and changing trends while giving designers more freedom and agility to create. In this article, textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan explains.

Buying New Print Software

There is much in your control when it comes to choosing the right print software package for your business. It has nothing to do with counting features. It has everything to do with your approach to engaging with the vendor, learning from other printers who already have the solution, and choosing your team wisely.

Is Specing Sustainable Substrates Enough?

As sustainability becomes bigger business, the emergence of recyclable, compostable, and other eco-friendly plastic alternatives for use in packaging, signage, and mailing is growing, too. But making those investments count may take a commitment on the design end, as well.

Is Sustainability Within Reach for Textiles and Apparel?

There is hope for improved sustainability in textiles and apparel, but it is not without its challenges. Cary Sherburne explains how a major need is to get a handle on how to make the supply chain more sustainable—but the efforts to establish take-back programs and find ways to recycle, resell and upcycle garments are not trivial either and present options for all of us to participate in this important effort.

Throwing Shades: What You Need to Know About Textiles and Color Management

Cary Sherburne talks to Mike Scrutton, director of print technology and strategy at Adobe, and Ray Cheydleur, printing and imaging portfolio manager for X-Rite/Pantone, about the similarities and differences between color management for commercial print and for textiles, and some best practices for textile-based color management.

Excitement and Information at InfoFLEX 2022 and the FTA Forum

After three years, “there is a lot of catching up to do.” That was the mood at the FTA event in Ft. Worth. About 1,000 very energized people were there to meet colleagues, see new developments, and hear about how they can optimize their production systems.

Is There a Robot in Your Future?

Robots and cobots are increasingly being used in a variety of manufacturing and warehousing operations, but they have not yet made their way at scale into apparel manufacturing. Do you have one in your home or business? I do. Three actually. Here we talk about how robots and cobots are being used today, and give an example of an apparel factory that is leveraging robots for increased accuracy and efficiency.

The Show Goes On: Visit the ISA International Sign Expo 2022 in May

ISA President and CEO Lori Anderson looks forward to the International Sign Expo 2022, coming to Atlanta in May. It will be the first in-person Sign Expo in two years.

Sign Manufacturing Employees—2010–2019

According to County Business Patterns, in 2010, there were 70,507 employees in NAICS 33995 (Sign Manufacturing). This NAICS category tumbled in the wake of the Great Recession, ultimately climbing to 76,944 employees in 2019. In macro news: Inflation continues to continue to climb.

Around the Web: Wreck Retrieval. Cover Clairvoyance. Container Questions. Salmon Suits. Battling Baker. Menschy Mirror. Head Heist.

The wreck of the “Endurance” was found—as was footage of it actually going down. The magazine cover as a contrary indicator. The Gender Pay Gap Bot called out hypocritical companies on IWD. Why do bottles have indented bottoms? And why did bottles used to have rounded bottoms? An excellent webinar on graphene in textiles. Hooking synthesizers to plants, for some reason. Seattle is being sued by fish. A “smart mirror” that actually sounds kind of cool. A box of human heads was stolen from a truck in Denver. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly salvaged miscellany.

Meet Vehicle-Wrap Competition Host Dirk Moebes

Contributor Mark Vruno talks to Dirk Moebes, the vehicle-wrap competition organizer from Germany who has been generating excitement at industry trade shows for more than two decades.

Ukraine’s Printing Industry Stands Strong

As the unprovoked war in Ukraine continues to unfold and the world watches in horror, we have been in touch with the leader of a print media company in Boryspil, a city not far to the East of Kyiv. In this heartbreaking article, Igor Agarkov, publisher of Print+ magazine, Polygraphy of Ukraine directory (Ukraine), and administrator of the Social network of printers, shares his experience, views, and request to the world, and those of some of his colleagues based on questions we provided to him after he reached out to WhatTheyThink.

Michael Cinco, the Grand Master of Dubai’s Elite Fashion Scene, Adds a Sophisticated Twist of Print with Epson

Textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan shares the story of Dubai fashion designer Michael Cinco, who has turned to digital textile printing to create truly amazing designs.

Looking for Business? Partnering with a Print Distributor Might Be a Good Next Step

As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and move into the endemic phase, many printers are taking stock of their businesses, asking, “What’s next?” For some, working with a print distributor might be a great option.

The Sign Connection—It’s About Time: Expand Your Tool Kit with E-Commerce

The growing importance of e-commerce has been difficult to miss, especially during these turbulent times. The flexibility that e-commerce enables has been key to navigating the pandemic for print businesses and their clients. This guest article, by Carrie Wood of Alliance Franchise Brands, looks at the implementation of e-commerce in the Image360, Signs By Tomorrow, and Signs Now centers.

The Great Workforce Exodus: Quit Thinking Like a Printer

As reported across the country for the last several years, there is a growing shortage of trade workers, and our industry has become one of the worst hit. PIASC President Lou Caron addresses the problems the industry has retaining and attracting workers, and suggests some possible solutions.

What D’Ya Know About Your Hardware Investments?

New equipment investments are wasted if the devices are not put into production quickly. Set the team and the business up for success. Pat McGrew tells you how.

Is Printing in Xerox's Future?

Three years after introducing a new business strategy, Xerox is organized into traditional Print and Services, PARC Innovation, CareAR, and FITTLE. Yet it is the ~$200 million share of Print & Services’ ~$525 million free cash flow that funds Xerox’s new businesses. What does this mean for the future of printing at Xerox? Contributor Pete Basiliere reports from Xerox’s recent analyst event.

VW ID.4 Touchless Branding Experience

Creating an immersive experience is about maintaining brand integrity at all stages and within a physical space. Colorkarma’s Shoshana Burgett uses a recent VW EV test drive experience as an example of how brands can create memorable and effective immersive experiences.

The Target Report: Printing Papers Get Squeezed Out—February 2022 M&A Activity

McKinley Paper Buys Midwest Paper, Sealed Air Acquires Foxpak Flexibles, and more…

HP Indigo Brings New Products, New Energy to DSCOOP 2022: A Conversation with Haim Levit

DSCOOP is back to in-person and the Indigo team is excited to be there. In this sponsored interview, created from written answers provided by Haim Levit, he reviews Indigo’s 2021 performance, advances in automation, new products being launched at DSCOOP, and a DSCOOP update.

January Graphic Arts Employment—Print Production Drops from December, Non-Production Up Slightly

In January 2022, all printing employment was down -2.6% from December, with production employment down -4.1%. Non-production printing employment offset that a bit by being up a modest +0.9%.

Around the Web: Language Learning. Smell Search. Creepy Casing. Teutonic Typeface. Nefarious Knockoffs. Graphene Guest. Bionic Basher. Tater Tale. Witchy Ouijas.

An animated history of the English language. What would Wordle have looked like in the 1980s? Why do new books smell different than old books? The myths and realities of books bound in human skin. The typeface used on German license plates was designed to thwart forgery. Fast-fashion knitwear faces a knockoff problem. Graphene guest stars on an episode of NCIS. VR boots that simulate walking. A drummer with an AI-enabled bionic arm. Heavens-Above tracks the satellites currently orbiting over your location. The origin of the potato chip. When in Salem, Mass., visit the museum dedicated to Ouija Boards. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Getting Real About Finding Labor

An industry dealing with labor shortages nestled inside an economy with labor shortages is a rough place to be. Competing not only with other members of the print-related ecosystem but with companies outside it who have significant recruiting advantages is not for the faint of heart nor for the uninformed. Wayne Lynn takes a look at how large companies create places to work that attract the people we want to hire very effectively. Can we learn from them?

The Importance of First-Party Data in a Cookie-Less World

Data can vastly improve the quality and relevance of customer communications when it is used correctly, but too much information can make implementation cumbersome. Adding to the complexity of using data, consumers are becoming more vigilant about safeguarding their personal information due to increased awareness about data privacy and security. This article explores how marketers can still develop effective campaigns with the impending death of third-party cookies.

Why Made To Order Manufacturing Matters: Combatting The Fast Fashion Movement

We've been pushing in this space to remove the concept and strategy of fast fashion from our minds and hearts and the way forward for brands. It is an unsustainable and destructive path for the industry and the earth. This piece, authored by Printful and provided compliments of textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan, provides compelling arguments that reinforce that message.

Eyeing the Packaging Market? Check Out Desert Harvest’s Commitment to Scrapping Single-Use Bottles

Trends toward sustainability and cause marketing could be a ticket to differentiation in the packaging market. Check out this nutritional supplements and skin care company to see what this looks like.

Transformations: The Keys to Success

David Zwang talks to Alon Bar-Shany Chairman of Highcon, Executive Chairman of Redefine Meat Ltd., Chairman and CEO of Twine Solutions, and former General Manager of HP Indigo about the digital transformation of graphic arts, printing, and packaging.

What is Your Integration Strategy?

When you move to integrating with software systems external to your business (e.g. at your customers or your suppliers), it’s time to think about your integration strategy or architecture. You can waste a lot of time and money redoing the same thing repeatedly or you can have a strategy that simplifies how you interact with external systems and reuse components each time.

I’m Sorry, Dave: The Rise of AI in Print and Packaging

There is a wave of innovation in print and packaging equipment and workflow systems that are beginning to implement artificial intelligence, not just within an individual system but across complete supply chains between different systems, processes, and even extending to semi-autonomous labor. David Zwang rounds up the current state of the art.

The Great Unboxing: The Packaging Boom and What It Means for PSPs

Contributor Joanne Gore looks at the evolution of packaging, and focuses on some of the new technologies—from more sustainable materials to interactive elements—that are dramatically enhancing the “unboxing” experience.

Smart Surveys Expand Sales Options

Surveys can be a great tool to keeping up with customer needs. Contributor Pat McGrew offers some do’s and don’ts for constructing effective surveys that will give you the data you need to better serve your customers.

Ceramic Tiles and the Recirculation Revolution: How the History of Inkjet Technology Changed Interior Design

Guest contributor Dr. Mark Bale looks at how developments in industrial inkjet printheads paved the way for digital printing on ceramics.

UK’s Lil Packaging Commits to Going Green and Carbon-Neutral

European section editor Ralf Schlözer takes a close look at the comprehensive environmental sustainability initiatives being pursued by the UK’s Lil Packaging—which has committed to making the entire company carbon-neutral in 2022.

Around the Web: Wet Wattage. Quit Questions. Pricey Picture. Revising Roboto. Liquid Lenses. Bottle Battle. People Portal. Robot Restaurants Redux. Hellish Hotel. Car Carnage. Cardiac Cod.

The emerging field of “liquid electronics”—and graphene is there! Redesigning corporate logos with a Medieval theme. The Great ReShuffling: meet the new buzzword, same as the old buzzword. An actual, physical object will be the most expensive photograph, bizarrely. Google introduces Roboto Serif. Self-adjusting water-based eyeglasses—in low- and high-tech versions. Coca-Cola’s tepid approach to its refillable bottle program. Beam a 3D hologram of yourself with PORTL. An update on robot restaurant servers. Also: the first robot hotel. A boat full of luxury cars bursts into flames. A robot fish powered by heart cells. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

Outdoor Advertising Establishments—2010–2019

According to County Business Patterns, in 2010, there were 2,378 establishments in NAICS 541850 (Outdoor Advertising). This NAICS actually grew post-Great Recession, with a slight decline mid-decade before climbing back up to 2,765 establishments in 2018. 2019 saw a massive drop in establishments. In macro news: Q4 2021 GDP revised up to 7.0%.

Image360 Fairfax Takes Pride in Its Work

Image360 Fairfax (Va.) designed, printed, and installed Pride-themed graphics for Fairfax’s Mosaic District, a high-end mixed-use community—images that were deemed highly “Instagrammable,” an increasingly important consideration when designing display graphics.

Designing in a Digital World—How CorelDRAW Simplifies the Creative Designer’s Workflow

If you are not immersed in the world of graphic design, and perhaps even if you are, you may not realize the suite of Corel solutions is still quite popular. Founded in 1985 by Michael Cowpland, with its first product, CorelDRAW, a vector-based illustration program designed to bundle with desktop publishing systems, being released in 1989. Today, CorelDRAW is a vector graphics editor developed and marketed by Corel Corporation. It is also the name of the Corel graphics suite, which includes the bitmap image editor Corel Photo-Paint as well as other graphics-related programs. And now the company points to suite as a solution for textile and apparel design, according to this article provided compliments of textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan.

Adobe and Pantone to Part Ways; What You Gonna Do?

You’ve probably already heard that Adobe and Pantone have agreed to disagree. There’s a question of why, but the bigger question is, What are you going to do when the Pantone libraries aren’t included in Adobe Creative Cloud apps anymore? Alder Color Solutions’ Dan Gillespie looks at some options.

Put on Your Smart Glasses

Remote monitoring of all types of equipment used in printing operations has been around for some time. However, its value became even more evident during the pandemic, when it was not possible—or at least difficult—to send technicians on site when a customer had a problem. Senior Editor Cary Sherburne looks at the current state of “smart glasses” and other remote monitoring options.

What’s It Like to Own a Landa? The View from Early Adopter Virtual Packaging

Jordan Patterson, vice president of Virtual Packaging (Grapevine, TX), shares his experience working with a Landa S10P Digital (Perfecting) Press—how they’ve used it, what their experiences have been, and what new markets the press has opened to them.

Data Collection Obsession: Measuring Results vs. Activities

Don’t delude yourself into thinking measuring more metrics in your company will magically fix broken processes. Measuring more doesn’t fix things, it simply identifies that there are more problems to fix.

Observability 101: If It Moves, Measure It—And Use Tools to Act on That Data

From digital storefronts, to workflow, to hardware, modern print production systems now support the ability to monitor the state of system. We now have a tremendous amount of data at our fingertips. Using modern observability techniques, we can use data from software and hardware to make business and operation decisions that create better buying experiences for our customers and make production efficient and more profitable.

Hundsdörfer Steers Heidelberg Back on Track—A Farewell Interview, Part 2

As Rainer Hundsdörfer prepares to close out his successful tenure as Chairman of Heidelberg, he discusses the inherent company strengths and expertise along with a plan that will ensure Heidelberg will continue to grow in addition to and beyond print.

Printing Outlook 2022: Back to the Future or Groundhog Day?

Digging into the results of our Fall 2021 Business Outlook Survey for the our annual Printing Outlook 2022report, they showed an industry that has largely recovered from 2020, but faces some new challenges and some older challenges now writ large. We’re not exactly back to normal, but we’re closer than we thought possible in a long time. This article previews the just-released Printing Outlook 2022 report.

Are We Really Doing the Right Things to Address Supply Chain Issues?

There’s a lot of talk about a broken supply chain for the textiles and apparel industry. But what’s actually being done to fix it? And what happens if we don’t? Last fall, the Sourcing Journal hosted a Sourcing Summit that addressed these issues. Some excerpts are included in this article, along with a link to the full report, well worth reviewing if you have any supply chain concerns at all!

Labor Doesn’t Have To Be Laborious: How To Use Observational Platforms To Keep Your Business Running Smoothly

Two significant challenges are facing the print industry: labor shortages and inefficiency. They are related, and there is a path to manage them, but it takes more than trying to find people to hire and tightening business and production workflows.

Around the Web: Giving Gear. Clever Containers. LEGO Letterpress. Mitigating Microplastics. Gamut Game. Controlled Consumables. Carvana Craziness. Haute Hardware. Potato Perfume.

What happens to all the T-shirts printed for the team that lost the Super Bowl? A more recyclable approach to beverage containers. Using LEGO for letterpress printing. Samsung is partnering with Patagonia to address the problem of microplastics produced by washing clothes. Test your skills at color matching. Certain types of solvent inks are now regulated as controlled substances by the UK. Graphene-based inks can help with low-power hot water heaters. Carvana’s auto-buying robot buys a seven-year-old car for more than the owner had paid for it. Hardware-as-luxury-jewelry is apparently a thing. A new perfume smells like french fries. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.

December Shipments: No Christmas Miracle

As 2021 drew to a close, December printing shipments came in at $7.00 billion, down from $7.10 billion in November, keeping with the usual seasonality of a slow December. For 2021 overall, we came in at $82.87 billion for the year, just below 2020’s $83.73 billion.

Identifying Your Best Prospects: The Importance of a Customer Persona

Creating a customer persona involves developing a deep understanding of your customers’ needs and establishing a plan to address them. Evaluating your current customers in terms of demographics, company size, and industry type is a good place to start, but the findings are often shallow and offer little insight. This article explores the role that data plays in developing a customer persona, and why this practice is so important to business development.

Can We Support Our Future Growth?

Our industry has been transformed by digital technology. On a larger scale, so has our society and the economy that underpins it. It is ironic that changes of such magnitude have us standing on the doorstep of a talent shortage that has no easy answers. In the midst of so much positive change, our leaders have not, to date, created the skills and talent needed to handle the shifting needs of an emerging new economic order. In this article, Wayne Lynn explains our dilemma and kicks off an appeal to industry leaders to adopt a growth mindset, think outside the box, and look to the long term.

“Motivation to Be Sustainable”: Understanding Key Trends and Behaviors

As we move towards a sustainable future, each and every product we consume has an environmental impact. Every choice that we make as designers and printers matters and collectively, we can make a significant contribution to the environmental impact of the products we create across all commercial sectors. Together we can drive effective change for a sustainable future. So says Wilbert van der Lans, Strategy Director at Make Sense, in a presentation he delivered as part of HP’s Sustainable Impact Series. Learn more.

Client Loyalty By Design: A Clear Strategy Rather than Happenstance Is a Powerful Approach

Market conditions and prospects have changed dramatically over the past year or so and it’s become harder, but more important than ever, to have a long-term and deliberate approach to retain your best clients. Lisa Magnuson offers a few considerations you help you build your client loyalty strategy.

Commentary & Analysis

Insight You Need. Analysis You Trust.