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WhatTheyThink

Articles by Pat McGrew and Ryan McAbee

Pat is a well-known evangelist for inkjet productivity. At McGrew Group, she uses her decades technical and marketing experience to lead the industry toward optimized business processes and production workflows. She has helped companies to define their five-year plans, audited workflow processes, and developed sales team interventions and education programs. Pat is the Co-Author of 8 industry books, editor of A Guide to the Electronic Document Body of Knowledge, and a regular contributor to Inkjet Insight and WhatTheyThink.com. Ryan McAbee is Chief Analyst at Pixel Dot Consulting LLC.

Displaying 1-14 of 14 articles

TECHNOLOGY OUTLOOK: SOFTWARE & WORKFLOW—Software Roundup: Atomyx, eProductivity Software, and Esko

Published August 27, 2024

Pat McGrew and Ryan McAbee round up three software solutions providers who were showing their products at drupa.  

How Data Protection Laws are Reshaping the Print Industry

Published April 9, 2024

Data privacy concerns aren’t new, but there has been an increased focus that impacts not only the people producing regulated communication like transactional bills and statements, but anyone who produces output informed by data, including AI-generated text and images. Pat McGrew and Ryan McAbee survey the current landscape.

State of the Cloud: Leveraging Professional Services in 2024

Published February 7, 2024

Do you have tasks that are never completed? Is your tech stack out of date? Is software and hardware maintenance on the back burner because no one has time? Trying to get to the cloud, but struggling with your on-premise installations? Are you wondering if you are getting the best advice from your staff and vendor partners? Maybe you need professional services!

State of the Cloud: Training Options in 2024

Published February 6, 2024

In days gone by, we had apprenticeships and vocational training to feed the print industry. Apprenticeships are a wonderful way to grow the talent of new employees and help them along a career path as they master the craftsmanship of print manufacturing. Vocational schools, state colleges, and vendor training also provide important educational resources. A growing option is cloud-based training to meet the needs of on-the-go trainees as they navigate the rigors of print in environments that increasingly rely on cloud services!

A Tangled Web: Successful Print Production Requires a Web of Workflows

Published December 13, 2023

There is no doubt that industry understanding of the power of workflow is growing. As machines get faster, the processes that feed them must be as efficient as possible. To attain efficiency requires a series of integrations to ensure that workflows connect and share data. Here is why that is important for your business growth.

The Artificial-ness of Generative AI

Published July 25, 2023

Have you tried ChatGPT, Bard, or another generative AI technology? They use algorithms to respond to prompts, leveraging available data pools to provide responses. They can be taught to respond to almost anything that can be broken down into steps. And they can make mistakes. Are you ready?

Working Over Your Workflow: 5 Steps to Turn Your Digital Printing Workflow into a Profit Maximizer

Published February 7, 2023

Reviewing your workflow on a regular cadence can lead to continuous improvement. It can also lead to continuous savings! With every new software tool and every new device there will be opportunities for more efficiency and optimization. Here is how to build your profit maximizer.

Plan Prophet’s Lemay Sanchez on the Champion Summit

Published February 2, 2023

In this video, sponsored by Plan Prophet, Pat McGrew and Ryan McAbee talk with Plan Prophet’s Lemay Sanchez about the company’s growth, feedback from customers, the latest additions and enhancements to the platform, and the company’s annual Champion Summit users event.

Bring Agility to Your Print Business with First Line Software

Published January 17, 2023

It can be challenging for print businesses to be agile, particularly production printing rooted in small-batch, custom manufacturing. To reach the peak of business agility, you may need to be agile using software and software services. Pat McGrew and Ryan McAbee look at how First Line Software’s custom software and data solutions can help improve print business agility.

Transform Your Print Business with First Line Software

Published January 17, 2023

Pat McGrew and Ryan McAbee talk to the team from First Line Software about the services the company provides for print businesses. First Line Software is a provider of software and digital transformation services that fine-tune personalization and create connectivity between disparate print systems.

Focus on Everything But Printing: Your Manufacturing Workflow Is the Ticket

Published December 14, 2022

Putting ink or toner on a vast range of substrates is something PSPs do daily, and the process is getting a bit easier every year. What is not getting any easier are the operational processes required before and after printing. Pat McGrew and Ryan McAbee explain how job onboarding, proofing and approval, and invoicing are the three most consistent problem areas found during workflow assessments for every type of print service provider.

Technology Outlook 2022—The Art and Science of Data in a Workflow

Published June 9, 2022

In this year’s third annual Technology Outlook, Pat McGrew and Ryan McAbee look at how to effectively collect and use data to improve production workflows.

Keeping the Pulse of Your Print Operation with Canon PRISMA Tools

Published May 11, 2022

Pat McGrew and Ryan McAbee take an in-depth look at Canon PRISMA Tools for data analysis and accounting, which monitor the operational pulse and direction of your a operation. These tools can help staff take quick and decisive actions to keep production running smoothly and make better print production decisions.

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

Published February 21, 2022

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.