Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

Articles by Harvey R. Levenson, Ph.D.

Dr. Harvey R. Levenson is Professor Emeritus and former Department Head of Graphic Communication at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, California. He is a frequent Expert Witness specializing in communication, intellectual property, media, printing, and technology

Displaying 1-11 of 11 articles

An Expert Looks Back at Offset’s Progress from Art to Craft to Science

Published May 20, 2024

Once, the only consistent thing about offset lithography was its inconsistency. Harvey Levenson explains how testing, testing, and more testing stabilized the process and optimized its results.

APTech and WhatTheyThink Joint Venture— In Support of the Graphic Communication/Printing Industry

Published June 27, 2022

Op-Ed by Harvey R. Levenson, Ph.D.. The joint venture between the Association for PRINT Technologies (APTech) and WhatTheyThink, in my opinion, is a “stroke of genius” and an example of how an association and a media organization can combine intellectual resources for the greater good of the graphic communication/printing industry.

Update on Patent Trolls Attacking the Printing Industry and Free Seminar at PRINT 17

Published September 7, 2017

There were recently three major cases that were ruled in favor of printing industry defendants—printers and OEMs. However, the issue is not behind us. It’s just starting said Cal Poly Professor Emeritus, Dr. Harvey Levenson, who will lead the seminar entitled, “A Case Study of Patent Trolls Attacking the Printing Industry: The Industry Is Winning!”

Last CTP Innovations and High Quality Printing Innovations Case Dismissed

Published May 24, 2017

Another Major Victory for the Printing Industry: The largest of the most recent patent troll cases against the printing industry and its OEMs was dismissed.

A Case Study of Patent Abuse: Patent Trolls on the Run — The Printing Industry Is Winning

Published April 5, 2017

This is a follow-up to my July 2016 White Paper entitled, “A Case Study of Patent Abuse: Printing Industry Faces New Nemesis Impacting Growth and Employment—Patent Trolls.” This article reviews the outcome of the previous cases and presents a “heads-up” regarding two new plaintiffs: Shipping & Transit LLC and the Freeny Brothers. It also introduces two “Printing Industry Heroes Among Us,” inventor Joyce Vogt and Intellectual Property attorney Nate St. Clair II.

The Thread that Connected Washington, DC and the Smithsonian Institution With Cal Poly

Published October 13, 2016

I recently returned from Washington, DC after witnessing, firsthand, the opening of the 19th and final Smithsonian Institution museum on The Mall, the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). I was part of a group of 32 people, mostly from San Luis Obispo (California) County, who attended. We were all there, not only to witness history in the making, but as a tribute to The Late Joe Schwartz, former lithographer and “street photographer,” whose photographs became one of the first and one of the only permanent exhibits adopted by the Smithsonian Institution to be prominently displayed at the Museum.

The Lure Of Digital Packaging: A Printing Industry Growth Area

Published August 23, 2016

If the rise of digital printing for packaging is starting to look irresistible, there are reasons —technological and market-driven—behind the momentum it is gathering.

The Printing Industry and Patent Trolls – The Industry Responds— What to Do and Not to Do

Published May 13, 2016

This is an update to my previous two articles on the growing issue of patent trolls attempting to extort funds from print service providers and OEMs by claiming patent infringement, mostly on bad patents that can easily be invalidated through Prior Art.

The Patent Trolls Lose and the “Good Guys” Win One – The HQPI Cases Dismissed

Published April 20, 2016

In one of the latest and most visible cases, High Quality Printing Innovations (HQPI) a shell company, under the troll company of Modern Universal Printing, LLC v. numerous print service providers and OEMs, all of the lawsuits were dismissed.

The Printing Industry and Patent Trolls – An Update on the CTP and HQPI Patent Infringement Litigation Cases and their Negative Impact on Industry’s Companies

Published March 8, 2016

At a time when the printing industry is searching for new growth and development opportunities, it now faces new obstacles: patent trolls, the epitome of greed, thoughtlessness, and unethical behavior impacting the survival, growth, and development of printing and related companies.

Developing the Future Leadership for the Graphic Communication Industry

Published December 4, 2013

Cal Poly and NYU “East Meets West” Graphic Arts Partnership Approaches 10-Year Anniversary