Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

Digital Publishing Extending to Retail Catalogs and More According to Adobe Study

Published February 1, 2013

There has been lots of press about the struggles of traditional publishers in making the transition to a more digitally-enabled business model, but less attention has been paid to the impact of digital on catalogs and other retail-oriented pieces that typically have been produced in print. Printers take note: There is significant change coming your way if you are in the business of producing print for retail.

EFI’s CEO Guy Gecht Talks About Connect, Financial Results and the Rumor Mill

Published February 1, 2013

During EFI’s recent 2013 Connect user conference in Las Vegas, CEO Guy Gecht took time out to talk to Senior Editor Cary Sherburne, followed by a discussion after EFI released its financial results on January 24th.

Adobe Playing Leadership Role in Publishing Transformation

Published January 29, 2013

As the publishing market continues to seek ways to innovate and to take advantage of the opportunities extent in digital publications, Adobe continues to support their efforts with ongoing enhancements to its Digital Publishing Suite and a growing number of publications on board with the solution. And the executive editor of Fast Company magazine shares his thoughts on the digital transformation.

Roger Gimbel on Xerox Premier Partners

Published January 25, 2013

Roger Gimbel of Gimbel & Associates talks to Cary Sherburne about what Xerox Premier Partners is and how it is helping printers be successful in a difficult industry environment.

Ricoh's Jason Dizzine on helping customers with continuous improvement

Published January 24, 2013

Jason Dizzine, Director of Marketing at Ricoh, talks to Cary Sherburne about how they are leveraging internal quality control programs to help their customers.

Landa Does EFI Connect

Published January 22, 2013

For the last several conferences, a highlight at EFI Connect has been the fireside chat between CEO Guy Gecht and an industry luminary. This year’s “luminary” was Benny Landa, and the fireside chat was a highlight of the event. Read more EFI Connect highlights.

Ricoh Director of Production Field Marketing Annette McCrary on Digital Literacy Through Media

Published January 17, 2013

Annette McCrary, Director of Production Field Marketing at Ricoh, talks to Cary Sherburne about their new program called Digital Literacy Through Media.

An Inside Look at Allegra Network’s Marketing Resource Center

Published January 15, 2013

Senior Editor Cary Sherburne recently had the opportunity to visit Allegra Network’s Marketing Resource Center, established more than two years ago to provide support to Allegra Network’s franchisees as they expand horizons into new business opportunities.

Joanne David of Ultimate Technographics on Imposition and Automation for Finishing

Published January 15, 2013

Ultimate Technographics President & CEO Joanne David talks with Cary Sherburne about the how imposition and automation integrates with the finishing side of the printing process.

Change in Management at HP Graphics Solutions Business

Published January 11, 2013

HP recently had a unpublicized change in management in its Graphic Arts business with the retirement of SVP Chris Morgan. Senior Editor Cary Sherburne spoke with Stephen Nigro, who has rejoined the group as Global Business Leader for Graphics Solutions and Inkjet.

Ricoh's Eric Staples on Clickable Paper

Published January 10, 2013

Eric Staples, Senior Product Manager at Ricoh, speaks with Cary Sherburne about "Clickable Paper".

Leslie Rutledge of Clearstory on digital book printing

Published January 8, 2013

Leslie Rutledge, Director of Operations at Clearstory, talks to Cary Sherburne about the business of digital book printing and moving from the academic world to the private sector.

National PrintOwners Association Launched

Published January 7, 2013

The 2006 merger of NAPL and NAQP has seen its share of naysayers and bumps in the road, but is a new industry association the answer? Find out why some former NAQP members think so.

Eyal Harpak of Graphica Bezalel on Highcon and the packaging segment

Published December 14, 2012

Eyal Harpak, Deputy General Manager at Graphica Bezalel in Israel, talks to Cary Sherburne about their business and the trends in packaging printing as well as their use of Highcon.

Fabian Prudhomme of Enfocus on Switch

Published December 14, 2012

Enfocus VP Fabian Prudhomme talks to Cary Sherburne about their Switch solution and gives examples of workflow tasks that can be automated using the tool.

Kevin Karstedt on the digital transition in the packaging segment

Published December 13, 2012

Kevin Karstedt, CEO of Karstedt Partners, talks to Cary Sherburne about the digital transition in the packaging segment.

Who Says Packaging is Not Going Digital?

Published December 12, 2012

HP recently announced that Hamburg, Germany, based RAKO Etiketten acquired five new HP Indigo WS6600 digital presses. This large investment caught the attention of Senior Editor Cary Sherburne, who spoke to RAKO about its investment, production platform and strategy moving forward.

Tom Vacchiano on the Developing X-Rite Pantone Synergies

Published December 11, 2012

Tom Vacchiano, President & CEO of X-Rite Pantone, talks to Cary Sherburne about about the two companies coming together and the synergies born from that combination as well as the potential for the future. They also discuss the possibility of a Danaher acquisition of the company.

Kodak's Chris Payne talks about their new tagline

Published December 10, 2012

Chris Payne, VP of Marketing at Kodak, talks to Cary Sherburne about their new slogan "Yellow Changes Everything", how they chose it and the larger meaning for Kodak and the industry.

Eddie Kopaczynski on Kodak's Graphic Users Association

Published December 10, 2012

Eddie Kopaczynski, Graphics Manager at Graphic Packaging International, talks to Cary Sherburne about Kodak's user group Graphic Users Association.

HP's Stephen Goddard on sustainability's progress in the industry

Published December 7, 2012

HP's Environmental Leadership Program Manager Stephen Goddard is with Cary Sherburne discussing sustainability and where things stand in the industry from his broad perspective.

Anita Stanley of Ohio Northern University on their digital transition

Published December 6, 2012

Anita Stanley, Manager of Printing Services at Ohio Northern University, talks to Cary Sherburne about transitioning to digital color utilizing MGI's DP60.

Esko's Carsten Knudsen on packaging's digital transformation

Published December 6, 2012

Carsten Knudsen, President & CEO of Esko is with Cary Sherburne discussing the movement in the packaging sector from analog to digital technologies.

Julie Watson of Ultimate Technographics on dynamic imposition

Published December 4, 2012

Julie Watson, VP of Marketing Strategy at Ultimate Technographics, talks to Cary Sherburne about dynamic imposition and what their customers say about the benefits to them.

Mark Levenson of Sage gives a buyer's perspective on offset versus digital

Published December 4, 2012

Mark Levenson, Manager of US Manufacturing at Sage, talks to Cary Sherburne about the mix of digital versus offset in their print buys and what is important to him as a buyer of print.

Zumbox Taking Digital Postal Mail to the Next Level

Published December 4, 2012

Zumbox, a digital postal mail service, recently announced that Chuck Teller, formerly of CatalogChoice.org and TrustedID, has joined the company with the objective of identifying new industries that can be served by digital postal mail and broadening the range of mail (documents) recipients can migrate to digital-only. Here's what he had to say to Senior Editor Cary Sherburne.

Jon Brennan of Chesapeake on Pantone Live's impact on brand owners

Published December 3, 2012

Jon Drennan, Operations Director at Chesapeake, talks to Cary Sherburne about how Pantone Live has affected brand owners and the reasons they've converted 7 of their 10 largest customers to the platform. 11/1/12: Jon Drennan of Chesapeake gives an update on Pantone Live

Vicki Blake of CGS on color-proofing and packaging

Published November 30, 2012

Vicki Blake, Director of Business Development and Marketing at CGS, talks to Cary Sherburne about the Oris product line and the implications for the packaging segment.

King Printing: An American Success Story

Published November 30, 2012

WhatTheyThink's Senior Editor Cary Sherburne had the opportunity to visit Boston-based King Printing Co., Inc. recently and found an amazingly efficient manufacturing operation with a great family story behind it.

Top-Flight Industry Professionals Gear up for Hunkeler Innovationdays

Published November 30, 2012

Hunkeler Innovationdays has become a tradition in the digital printing world. The organizers promise an even more exciting event in 2013, with visitors able to see live demonstrations of an impressive line-up of end-to-end multivendor digital solutions. The WhatTheyThink video team will be there to capture the action. Read more.

Blurb's Bruce Waterman on trends in e-books

Published November 29, 2012

Blurb SVP of Print Operations Bruce Waterman talks to Cary Sherburne about the relationship between printed books and e-books and trends he's seeing in this area.

Jim Chadwick of Wild Apple on the importance of color consistency

Published November 29, 2012

Jim Chadwick of Wild Apple in Vermont talks to Cary Sherburne about their business of reproducing artwork and the importance of color management and control.

X-Rite Pantone's Dr. Francis Lamy on the company consolidation

Published November 28, 2012

Dr. Francis Lamy, EVP and Chief Technology Officer at X-Rite Pantone talks with Cary Sherburne about the consolidation efforts between the two companies since the acquisition.

Komori's Jacki Hudmon talks about their digital strategy

Published November 27, 2012

Jacki Hudmon, SVP of Sales & Marketing at Komori, talks to Cary Sherburne and gives an update on things that came out of drupa including establishing a presence in the digital market and partnering with Konica Minolta and Landa.

Eddie Kopacyzynski of Graphic Packaging on digital in packaging

Published November 27, 2012

Eddie Kopaczynski, Graphics Manager at Graphic Packaging, talks to Cary Sherburne about the adoption of digital methods in the packaging printing market.

Pantone's Giovanni Marra on X-Rite Pantone Integration

Published November 26, 2012

Giovanni Marra, Director of Corporate Marketing at Pantone talks with Cary Sherburne about the status of integrating X-Rite and Pantone together and on being acquired by Danaher.

Steve Reny of Standard Finishing on Hunkeler and Innovation Days

Published November 26, 2012

Standard Finishing President Steve Reny speaks with Cary Sherburne about their long standing partnership with Hunkeler and about how North American printers can benefit from Hunkeler Innovation Days in Luzerne Switzerland.

Blurb Operations SVP Bruce Watermann on photobooks and self-publishing

Published November 16, 2012

Bruce Watermann, Senior Vice President of Operations for Blurb, talks to Cary Sherburne about the company, their photo-book business, as well as their self-publishing business.

Komori's Jacki Hudmon on a Print Engineering Service Providers sales strategy

Published November 15, 2012

Jacki Hudmom, SVP of Sales at Komori, talks with Cary Sherburne about the challenges of a changing print market and how Komori is responding with solution selling and product innovation.

Domino's Vlad Sljapic on digital trends in the packaging and label market

Published November 15, 2012

Dr. Vlad Sljapic, Sales Director at Domino, speaks with Cary Sherburne about what he's seeing in terms of trends in the analog to digital transformation relative to the label market.

Kodak's Jon Bracken on the Graphic User Group Community

Published November 13, 2012

Ultimate Technographics President & CEO Joanne David on imposition

Published November 13, 2012

Joanne David, President and CEO of Ultimate Technographics talks with Cary Sherburne about imposition software, it's history and advancements, as well as ganging for smaller jobs.

Whit Everett on the folding carton market

Published November 12, 2012

Whit Everett, President of Everett Graphics talks to Cary Sherburne about the trends in the folding carton printing market. They discuss run-length trends, copy obsolescence, just-in-time demands, and finishing.

Santi Morera of HP on some trends in the wide and grand format area

Published November 12, 2012

Santi Morera of HP discusses some of the trends he is seeing in the wide and grand format printing; including roll and flatbed.

Stefan Hunkeler Previews Innovation Days Event 2013

Published November 8, 2012

Stefan Hunkeler, CEO of Hunkeler AG speaks with Cary Sherburne about the Hunkeler Innovation Days event, giving a preview of the next event February 11-15 in Luzerne Switzerland.

HP's David Murphy on DSCOOP

Published November 8, 2012

HP Graphic Arts Director of Marketing David Murphy talks to Cary Sherburne about upcoming DSCOOP meetings and the growth of the organization and events.

Bruno Mortara of ABTG on standards and certifications for the Brazilian printing industry

Published November 6, 2012

Bruno Mortara, Technical Director at ABTG talks to Cary Sherburne about the organization and the work they've done with standards for the Brazilian printing industry.

Tablets: Are You Taking Advantage of the Opportunity

Published November 5, 2012

Like many of our readers, Senior Editor Cary Sherburne is increasingly depending on a tablet computer for a growing array of activities. In this article, she talks about the business opportunities these devices offer for printers, and the tools provided by Adobe that make it easy to do.

Pantone's Giovanni Marra on the new Capsure device

Published November 5, 2012

Pantone Director of Corporate Marketing Giovanni Marra speaks with Cary Sherburne about the new Capsure device, new colors added to the Pantone palette, and new lighting indicator pages.

Kodak's Nigel Street on the Graphic User Association

Published November 2, 2012

Nigel Street, Regional Business manager for Unified Workflow Europe/Africa/Middle East at Kodak talks with Cary Sherburne about the Graphic User Association and their meeting at drupa 2012.

Vicki Blake of CGS on packaging and the influence of digital

Published November 2, 2012

Vicki Blake, Director of Business Development at CGS talks to Cary Sherburne about packaging and how processes are moving into the digital realm.

Presstek's Mark Sullivan on new Virtuoso quality management product

Published November 1, 2012

Presstek Group Product Director for Digital Imaging Mark Sullivan talks to Cary Sherburne about the recently announced Virtuoso press tool for quality management and what sets it apart from other simliar tools.

Jon Drennan of Chesapeake gives an update on Pantone Live

Published November 1, 2012

Chesapeake Operations Director Jon Drennan gives Cary Sherburne an update on Pantone Live and their progress since the launch in March and the progress since.

Axel Scheufelen on MetaPaper and partnering with Mohawk

Published October 30, 2012

Co-Founder of MetaPaper Axel Scheufelen talks about the company and the services they provide as well as the partnership with Mohawk.

HP's Aurelio Maruggi on emerging trends in inkjet

Published October 30, 2012

HP GM of Production Inkjet Aurelio Maruggi speaks with Cary Sherburne about the current state of inkjet as well as future trends and HP's developments in the segment.

Mimeo's Charlie Corr gives his thoughts on format sizes

Published October 29, 2012

Charlie Corr, Chief Strategist at Mimeo, talks to Cary Sherburne about all the industry chatter about B2 and gives his overall thoughts on industry format sizes.

94 Quintillion Bottles of Absolut on the Wall...

Published October 29, 2012

Thanks to Ben Miyares of the Packaging Management Institute for bringing this absolutely unique Absolut Vodka packaging story to our attention. Four million bottles, each different. How did they do it? Read more.

Time for an Updated Worldwide Printing Forecast

Published October 26, 2012

NPES has commissioned The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) to produce an updated worldwide print forecast. WhatTheyThink's Senior Editor Cary Sherburne spoke with Ken Lane, Business Development Manager, Americas, Economist Intelligence Unit, an Economist Group Business, along with representatives from NPES, to learn more about what to expect from the forecast.

Randy Seberg of dmh Marketing Partners on the transition to digital

Published October 26, 2012

VP of Technology for dmh Marketing Partners Randy Seberg speaks with Cary Sherburne about the business and the changing nature of working with non-profits as digital forms of communication are added to print.

Axel Thien of Presstek on DI presses for the European market

Published October 26, 2012

Axel Thien, President of Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions for Presstek talks with Cary Sherburne about the geographic fit of the DI presses for his customers, PearlDry Blue plates, and waterless printing.

3-Year drupa Cycle Starting in 2015?

Published October 25, 2012

Messe Düsseldorf created a bit of a stir when it announced it was considering moving to a 3-year show cycle starting in 2015. WhatTheyThink's Senior Editor Cary Sherburne reached out to a few drupa stakeholders to get their opinions.

MGI's Giselle de la Moriniere on winning a Graph Expo Must See 'Em

Published October 25, 2012

MGI Marketing Communications Manager Giselle de la Moriniere talks to Cary Sherburne about winning a Graph Expo Must See 'Em Award for the JetVarnish 3D Spot UV coater.

X-Rite's Yves Giraud on Combined X-Rite/Pantone Service Offerings

Published October 25, 2012

X-Rite VP of Services Yves Giraud talks about the combined service offerings of X-Rite and Pantone with WhatTheyThink's Cary Sherburne.

Next Up: Ipex

Published October 24, 2012

With drupa and Graph Expo under our respective belts, Ipex is looming on the horizon scheduled for London, March 26th through April 2nd. WhatTheyThink Senior Editor Cary Sherburne spoke with Trevor Crawford, Director of the Print + Media Group for Informa Exhibitions during his recent visit to Chicago.

Florian Sussl of Zipcon on the new X-Rite i1Pro 2

Published October 23, 2012

Florian Sussl of Zipcon Consultants talks with Cary Sherburne about the new X-Rite i1Pro 2 and what has changed that will help them do their job better.

Chuck Stempler of Alphagraphics in Seattle on Search Engine Marketing

Published October 22, 2012

President & Owner of Alphagraphics in Seattle Chuck Stempler talks to Cary Sherburne about a new business he started to do "search engine marketing".

Presstek's Joe Demharter discusses technology for printers

Published October 19, 2012

Presstek VP of Sales Joe Demharter discusses the demands of print service providers and the evolving technology of digital printing.

Latest on Landa Nanographic Printing...and more

Published October 19, 2012

During Graph Expo, I had the pleasure of meeting with Benny Landa to learn more about the progress of Landa Nanographic Printing since it took many of the headlines at drupa 2012. We also discussed other initiatives Mr. Landa has underway in Landa Labs, which has the tagline "Big Things from Small Particles."

Ariva's Mark Ushpol on the new brand, partnerships, and

Published October 18, 2012

Cary Sherburne talks to President of Ariva Mark Ushpol about the newly branded company and their recent partnership with MGX. Be sure to catch Cary's interview with MGX President & CEO Doug Watson

MGX President & CEO Doug Watson on the company and Ariva Partnership

Published October 18, 2012

Doug Watson, President & CEO of MGX talks to Cary Sherburne about the company and their recent distribution partnership with Ariva. Be sure to watch Cary's interview with Ariva President Mark Ushpol.

Global Graphics' Martin Bailey reports on InfoTrends/RIT validation of Harlequin RIP speed for digital

Published October 16, 2012

Martin Bailey, CTO of Global Graphics Software, speaks with Cary Sherburne about speed improvements to Harlequin RIP and getting external validation by InfoTrends. For more information contact [email protected]

Graph Expo 2012: A Horse of a Different Color

Published October 16, 2012

Graph Expo 2012 was quite a different show than previous years, for a lot of reasons that our Senior Editor, Cary Sherburne, discusses in this article.

Patrice Aurenty of Sun Chemical on PantoneLIVE

Published October 15, 2012

Patrice Aurenty, Business Leader at Sun Chemical, talks to Cary Sherburne about Sun's involvement in PantoneLIVE and their interest in ensuring consistent color for their customers.

GASC President Ralph Nappi gives his impressions of Graph Expo 2012

Published October 12, 2012

Graphic Arts Show Company President Ralph Nappi speaks with Cary Sherburne about his impressions of Graph Expo 2012 and talks about what this year's show means for the industry and for Graph Expo going forward. Ralph also gives us his outlook on Print 2013.

Judi Hansen of J.S. McCarthy shares advice to companies looking to implement a MIS system

Published October 11, 2012

Judi Hansen of J.S. McCarthy shares some of the benefits that J.S. McCarthy has received as a result of implementing their MIS System.

Cary Sherburne on Graph Expo Press Conferences

Published October 9, 2012

Senior Editor Cary Sherburne talks about press conferences at Graph Expo 2012 and vendors involving their customers and doing things differently.

Kathy Tobin on the value of specialty printing system modules for offset printing presses

Published October 9, 2012

HP's General Manager of Specialty Printing Systems Kathy Tobin talks to Cary Sherburne about the specialty printing systems segment and what she sees for the future of specialty printing modules on offset equipment.

Holland Litho's Brian Baarman on process automation

Published October 8, 2012

Brian Baarman, Executive VP of Finance & Administration at Holland Litho gives some back ground on the company and talks about their process automation efforts.

Komori's Jacki Hudmon on their digital strategy

Published October 5, 2012

Senior VP of Sales for Komori talks to Cary Sherburne about their multi-tiered digital strategy starting with a relationship with Konica Minolta shown at drupa. The next step features the first two digital inkjet presses manufactured by Komori.

Jeff Mercier of bopi on Marketing Services and the Digital Transformation

Published October 5, 2012

bopi Director of Operations Jeff Mercier speaks with Cary Sherburne about the history of the company and the addition of marketing services to their offerings. They also talk about the importance of MIS systems and bopi's deep use of it in their business.

Mandy Baker of WorkflowOne on the analog to digital industry transformation

Published October 4, 2012

Mandy Baker, Director of Customer Solutions & Automation at WorkflowOne talks to Cary Sherburne about the analog to digital transformation in the industry and what she sees from her perspective.

Schmidt Printing's Marty McQuiston on learning digital and what a project manager does

Published October 3, 2012

Cary Sherburne speaks with Marty McQuiston, Senior Project Manager at Schmidt Printing in Minnesota and learns a bit about the company and their specialty in versioning. We get an insight into their digital technologies and what a project manager does.

Komori's Doug Schardt: How Printers Should Approach New Press Acquisition

Published October 2, 2012

Komori Product Manager Doug Schardt speaks with Cary Sherburne at Komori America headquarters about what printers should consider when thinking about acquiring news presses and talks about what's new from Komori.

Whit Everett of Everett Graphics on heavy substrate packaging printing

Published October 1, 2012

Cary talks with Whit Everett, President of Everett Graphics about their business and working with KBA on some new applications in the packaging segment that require heavier substrate printing.

Tim Arnold of Arnold Printing on how their 100 year old printing business has evolved

Published September 28, 2012

Tim Arnold, Vice President of Arnold Printing, talks about how their more than 100 year old printing business in Cincinnati has evolved and changed over the years and today embraced digital technologies.

Komori President & COO Kosh Miyao on their history and the affect of digital

Published September 28, 2012

Cary Sherburne interviews Komori President & COO Kosh Miyao at their Headquarters in Chicago, who talks about the founding of Komori in Japan in 1923 and their strengths as a company both financial and strategic.

Marco Boer of IT Strategies on Innovation in the Industry

Published September 27, 2012

Marco Boer of IT Strategies discusses some of the Innovation in the inkjet industry.

John Wynne of Labels Unlimited on digital's impact on labels and packaging

Published September 25, 2012

Cary Sherburne speaks with John Wynne, CEO of Labels Unlimited about his company and the impact he's seen in digital technology on the larger labels and packaging industry.

Joe Demharter of Presstek on the opportunities in packaging

Published September 25, 2012

VP of Sales at Presstek Joe Demharter talks about getting into the packaging market and the opportunities it presents for the company.

Heidelberg Hosts Customer Educational Event in Atlanta Technology Center

Published September 24, 2012

Heidelberg recently hosted a customer event at its North American Print & Packaging Technology Center in Atlanta for nearly 100 printing professionals and WhatTheyThink's Senior Editor Cary Sherburne was there. We spent an extra day with Heidelberg executives and product managers to gain more insight into what we saw at the event and at drupa as well as to discuss future strategies for Heidelberg in North America. Read more.

Komori CEO Yoshiharu Komori on the company's new digital strategy

Published September 24, 2012

President, Chairman, and CEO of Komori Yoshiharu Komori talks with Cary Sherburne about their new strategies relative to a hybrid offset/digital manufacturing workflow.

Max Wepasnik of ColorNet Group on lessons learned moving from offset to digital

Published September 21, 2012

ColorNet Printing & Graphics Owner Max Wepasnik talks to Cary Sherburne about his business and the lessons learned moving from offset to digital.

Armando Zagalo de Lima of Xerox on what to expect from them in the future

Published September 18, 2012

Cary Sherburne speaks with Armando Zagalo de Lima, President of Xerox's Technology Business, about their technology business and gives some hints on what to expect from Xerox in the next few years.

GASC's Ralph Nappi gives a Graph Expo & Print 2013 Preview

Published September 17, 2012

Cary Sherburne talks to GASC & NPES President Ralph Nappi about the upcoming Graph Expo show and highlights what things seen at drupa will also be at Graph and what news things will be seen as well. Ralph also speaks about next year's Print 2013 show.