Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

For Sellers, Six Scenarios—and a Word about Timing

Published April 14, 2010

Like a weak hand at the card table, a weak offering in the M&A market won’t be improved by the length of time it’s in play. Unlike a poker hand, it can’t be bluffed because the “cards”—the fundamentals of the business—are always in plain sight of the buyer and its due diligence.

Coalition of NYS Businesses, Assns, and Labor Unite to Oppose Sales Tax Increase on Promotional Print

Published April 8, 2010

New York’s marketing and printing industries have joined together with letter carriers and business advocates to oppose a recently released Assembly budget proposal that would impose a new sales tax (on average 8% statewide) on promotional and marketing materials sent by New York businesses to both out-of-state and in-state customers.

GAA Opposes Pa. Governor’s Wish to Eliminate Sales Tax Exemption for Direct Mail Advertising

Published April 6, 2010

Like their counterparts in New York, printers in Pennsylvania will have to start collecting sales tax on direct mail advertising if their current exemption from the levy is eliminated from the state’s next budget. The Graphic Arts Association (GAA) is alerting its members to the potential loss of the exemption, which would apply the state’s 6% sales tax (7% in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh) to the printing of direct mail, catalogs, and other mailed matter containing advertising.

Virtual Press Clips: Print Firms in the News

Published April 5, 2010

Two Waltham, MA, printers speak of their struggles with rising health care costs in a video promoting the reelection of Governor Deval Patrick. Seen in this clip are Mayda Chaprazian, president of Arvest Press, and Shishir Mehta, who owns Fastsigns.

GASC Speaks Against High Costs of McCormick Place

Published April 2, 2010

The Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC) joined four other trade show organizers in blasting labor costs and union work rules at Chicago’s McCormick Place exhibition center, according to a story in today’s Chicago Sun-Times. "We've gone from complaints about labor costs to anger and demand for change," Chris Price, vice president of GASC, is quoted as saying.

Wim Maes, CEO of Punch Graphix at the pre-Ipex press event

Published April 2, 2010

Here’s Your Frosh Beanie—and an iPad to Go with It

Published April 1, 2010

It may appear to be an April Fool post, but it isn’t: starting in the fall, a college will give free Apple laptops and iPads to its freshmen. Here’s how Seton Hill University of Greensburg, PA, is pitching the idea to its student body:

Empire State Printers Risk Loss of Sales and Use Tax Exemption on Promotional Materials

Published March 30, 2010

Printing Industries Alliance says that printers in New York State don’t have much time to raise their voices against a budget proposal that could cost the state’s printing industry thousands of jobs. That grim prospect is raised by a legislative attempt to repeal an exemption from the state’s sales and use tax on printed and mailed promotional materials.

Virtual Press Clips: Print Firms in the News

Published March 29, 2010

“Lorem ipsum,” the Latin-like dummy text used by printers and typesetters since the 1500s, looks random. It’s anything but. The Lipsum site, operated by James Wilson in the UK, gives the history of lorem ipsum, discusses its use, and offers a “Lipsum generator” for those who want chunks of the text in what Wilson says is its proper format and style.

Oscar Planas talks about new Trillian plates at pre-Ipex press event

Published March 29, 2010

Kodak's Barb Willans talks about their new print practice consultant practice

Published March 29, 2010

Carsten Knudsen, CEO of EskoArtwork talks about Ipex 2010

Published March 29, 2010

Printers Confront Passage of Health Care Reform

Published March 23, 2010

It’s over. As Printing Industries of America (PIA) duly notified its members today, on Sunday, March 21st, the U.S. House of Representatives passed both S. 3590, the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (health care reform legislation passed by the U.S. Senate on December 24th, 2009), and H.R. 4870, the Reconciliation Act of 2010 (the House's "fix" of several provisions in the Senate-passed bill). Passage was a disappointment for PIA, which had urged its members to oppose the Obama administration’s plan for health care reform.

Heidelberg and PIAG Boost SkillsUSA Competitions in Graphic Communications, Advertising Design

Published March 22, 2010

Plaudits to Heidelberg for remaining a staunch supporter of SkillsUSA. This photo shows all of the Georgia students who took part in the the recent SkillsUSA graphic communications and advertising design competitions co-sponsored by Heidelberg and the Printing and Imaging Association of Georgia (PIAG) at Heidelberg’s U.S. headquarters in Kennesaw, GA.

Must-Read for Owners of Small Firms: PrintCEO Interview with Alonzo Printing's Jim Duffy

Published March 20, 2010

"Some of us get caught up in this and some of us skate through it. I do know that a lot of printers are on the edge. They’re hanging on with their fingernails and running out of cash." If you haven't already read Gail Nickel-Kailing's PrintCEO interview with Jim Duffy, leave this page immediately and go to the story now.

American Express Offers Resource for Small Firms in Search of Government Contracting Opportunities

Published March 19, 2010

Last November, American Express OPEN® launched what could be a valuable resource for small firms seeking government contracts: Victory in Procurement^SM(VIP) for Small Business. The core of VIP is an online information exchange designed to guide business owners through the intricacies of the government contracting process. The program also will help owners connect with procurement officials, form relationships with other aspiring contractors, and get coaching and mentoring assistance.

M&A Activity to Remain on the Upswing as the Industry Regroups

Published March 17, 2010

Despite the industry's shrinkage, printing companies continue to be born “under the radar screen” as firms win new leases on life by merging with other firms. New Direction Partners foresees an increase in M&A activity as the industry regroups around the strengths of its healthiest and most survivable firms.

Brace for Storm in Paper Availability, Says Merchant

Published March 15, 2010

A devil’s brew of natural disasters and man-made economic exigencies is spreading “havoc” and “turmoil” throughout the paper supply chain, according to one paper merchant. At its blog, Millcraft Papers (Cleveland, OH) advises printers not to panic, but it also urges them to plan for the likelihood of tightened access to paper for the remainder of the year.

Kodak's Kevin Joyce talks with Pat Henry at the pre-Ipex media event in Belgium

Published March 11, 2010

Punch Graphix Hosts Trade-Media Open House

Published March 9, 2010

Seeking a higher profile for Xeikon digital presses and its other print market technologies, Punch Graphix today opened the doors of its international headquarters in Liel, Belgium, to a contingent of more than 70 print industry journalists from around the world. Seeking a higher profile for Xeikon digital presses and its other print market technologies, Punch Graphix today opened the doors of its international headquarters in Liel, Belgium, to a contingent of more than 70 print industry journalists from around the world.

Briefings in Brussels Give Technical Preview of IPEX 2010 (continued)

Published March 8, 2010

Briefings in Brussels Give Technical Preview of IPEX 2010

Published March 8, 2010

Four exhibitors at IPEX—Atlantic Zeiser, EskoArtwork/Enfocus, Kodak, and Punch Graphics—are giving previews of their show plans at a combined media briefing taking place today and tomorrow at a conference center near Brussels, Belgium. Among those presenting today are Atlantic Zeiser and EskoArtwork/Enfocus.

Printing Trade Show Postponement Is Said to Provoke “Kiwi Outrage”

Published March 4, 2010

The U.S. isn’t the only country where some soul-searching—and some hand-wringing—is being done about the future of graphic arts trade shows. Print21online, an online journal for the printing industry in Australia and New Zealand, reports “Kiwi outrage” over the postponement of Printech, New Zealand’s quadrennial printing trade show, from 2010 to 2012 “due to a lack of support from both sponsors and the industry.”

Terry Tevis talks with Pat Henry about transformative technology and the digital pressroom

Published March 4, 2010

Iraqi Printers Reap Benefits of Election-Related Printing

Published March 4, 2010

Agence France-Press (AFP), the international news agency, has syndicated a timely article about printers in Iraq. There are about 500 of them, and they are enjoying, according to the story, a boom in business connected with their country’s upcoming parliamentary elections on Sunday (March 7).

In the “Social Print Experiment,” a Start-Up Printing Business Will Trace its Success—or Failure—in a Year-Long Online Chronicle

Published February 26, 2010

Can a start-up digital printing business reach $1 million in sales within 12 months at a profit margin of 30%? Partners Bob Lambie, Andrew Simmons, and Ken Williams will know the answer at the end of the year, and so will everyone else who follows their progress in an ongoing online chronicle that they call the Social Print Experiment.

A Veteran Dealmaker Declares, “Roll-ups in Print are Dead!”

Published February 19, 2010

We received the following in response to a recent article at Printing Industry Merger And Acquisitions, a special section of WhatTheyThink that tracks and analyzes M&A activity in the industry. The article profiled the recent launch of MSP Digital Marketing, a venture that will invest in building a network of specialty printers and other digital services for marketing communications.

Fujifilm Companies Announce Aid To Haiti

Published February 18, 2010

In Dubuque, a Screen-Printing Apparel Maker Helps Haiti with T-shirts

Published February 16, 2010

In Dubuque, IA, the owner of a screen-printing sportswear business is assisting Haitian disaster relief with the T-shirt pictured above. Tom Rauen, who started Envision Sports Designs in Dubuque four years ago, is selling the shirts for $10 and will donate 100% of the proceeds to the American Red Cross.

In North Carolina, a Valentine from A. Klein

Published February 12, 2010

There was a time when, if you gave your sweetheart a present of chocolates for St. Valentine’s Day, chances were good that Jesse Salwen made the heart-shaped box you gave them in. His business, A. Klein & Co., ceased operation more than a year ago, but Salwen continues to touch real hearts with the shimmery, satiny, and velvety raw materials that he used to turn into millions of cordiform candy boxes per year.

MSP Digital Marketing and TecDoc Digital Solutions: The Case History of an M&A Transaction Done Right

Published February 12, 2010

When four print industry veterans decided to form a national network of digital services for marketing communications, they knew they would need the help of an M&A expert. Realizing that the digital universe is huge, they understood that locating the right acquisition targets within it was a task they could entrust only to an advisor possessing "industry knowledge, financial acumen, and a great database." Read how MSP Digital Marketing, with the help of New Direction Partners, took a successful first toward building its network with the well-executed acquisition of TecDoc Digital Solutions.

PIA’s Michael Makin Takes to the Skies with Pro-Print Message

Published February 10, 2010

Opportunity in difficult days, Roy Grossman and Jon Fogel of MSP

Published February 9, 2010

Roy Grossman and Jonathan Fogel of MSP Digital LLC talk about the formation of the company and their other partners and discuss their recent acquisition of TecDoc. They also discuss why they are launching a venture in this economy and how they see opportunity in the changes that are taking place in the industry.

Cutting Your Tax Bill with the Help of “R&D”

Published February 8, 2010

Small-Business Loans at 40% Interest? Legally?

Published February 5, 2010

An Interview with Mark Hischar, KBA North America

Published February 3, 2010

As it did to every other print equipment manufacturer, 2009 brought a host of challenges to Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA). Declining orders, a change of leadership at the top, job cuts further down the structure, and uncertainty about the future cost this global distributor of sheetfed and web offset presses some momentum.

Virtual Press Clips: Print Firms in the News

Published February 1, 2010

Adobe and Print: A Short Shrift, or a Long Goodbye?

Published January 25, 2010

"Lost in Translation. La Piña de Muerte"

Published January 18, 2010

Sign Up for the APO Newsletter

Published January 12, 2010

Three WhatTheyThink Blogs Make M-Bossed's "Top 10 Print Blogs" List

Published January 6, 2010

Coaxing an Antique Press to ‘Kiss the Page’

Published January 5, 2010

Virtual Press Clips: Print Firms in the News

Published January 4, 2010

"Yes, We Need Graph Expo Every Year!"

Published December 11, 2009

Andrew Tribute Asks: "Do We Need Graph Expo Each Year?"

Published December 8, 2009

Yes, They’re Your Father’s Litho Clubs: But Why Aren't They Yours, Too?

Published November 30, 2009

“Workplace Gossip? Keep It to Yourself”

Published November 27, 2009

Virtual Press Clips: Print Firms in the News

Published November 23, 2009

Gary Marron of HiFlex on the meaning of workflow

Published November 23, 2009

Tuck In, Luck Out: A Guide to an M&A Opportunity Built for Two

Published November 19, 2009

There’s strength in numbers, goes the old adage, but there’s also strength in the power of one—a cumulative strength that printing companies can achieve by undertaking the kind of merger known as a “tuck-in.”

Bob Weber talks about the refurbished prepress equipment market

Published November 19, 2009

Family-Owned Printing Company Is Portrayed as a Victim of the “Death Tax”

Published November 18, 2009

PIA, NAPL Announce Plan To "Collaborate"

Published November 16, 2009

“Is Your Sales Force Ethical?”

Published November 9, 2009

ASBL: The Obama Adminstration's First Year Short Changes Small Businesses

Published November 6, 2009

Small Graphics Firms Get Big Recognition as “Best Workplaces”

Published November 3, 2009

“Printer’s Drawer Halloween Candy Display”

Published October 30, 2009

From Down Under, an Opportunity To Rise To?

Published October 29, 2009

"Resco Packer-Viking Week"

Published October 27, 2009

"The optimum size for a printing company"

Published October 26, 2009

Must Reading: Mallard Press

Published October 21, 2009

Report: Small Firms without Web Sites Are Standing on the Brink of a “Great Divide”

Published October 16, 2009

NFIB: Despite Having Taken “A Real Beating,” America’s Small Businesses Are “Clawing Their Way Back”

Published October 14, 2009

Virtual Press Clips: Print Firms in the News

Published October 12, 2009

PIA: Beware “Penalties” in Health-Care Bills

Published October 6, 2009

American Express Small-Business Poll Reveals Some Glints Amidst the Gloom

Published October 5, 2009

Kevin Keane on “the Coal-Fired Internet”

Published October 1, 2009

Virtual Press Clips: Print Firms in the News

Published September 30, 2009

Heidelberg Hails Two-Time Gold Medalist in SkillsUSA Championships

Published September 25, 2009

Would-Be Printing Giants FedEx and UPS Slug It Out—But for What?

Published September 24, 2009

When It Comes to Technological Progress in Print, There's No Such Thing as A"Recession"

Published September 22, 2009

As it happens, and as reported below, both KBA and AccessGroup fared rather well as exhibitors at Print 09. But, like every other exhibitor, they have no illusions about the fact that because their customers are struggling, they too will continue to struggle against a recession from which printing could be one of the last industrial sectors to emerge. That lingering economic drag was evident throughout the show, even when interest in its many technological advancements was keenest.

Progress in Prepress Was a Keynote of Print 09

Published September 21, 2009

"Unscientific" has to be the word for our selection of exhibitors to write about in the aftermath of Print 09. Some are on the follow-up list because of pre-booked editorial appointments; others because of what we heard at media briefings during the show; and, in a couple of cases, because we were buttonholed by pouncing p.r. people as we moved past the booths, never intending to stop. But, at a show like Print 09, any reason for spending time with a vendor usually turns out to be a good one in terms of knowledge gained.

PIA: NAPL Rejects Our "Olive Branch"

Published September 15, 2009

Print 09: Litho, Litho Everywhere

Published September 14, 2009

To state the more or less obvious: Print 09 is an offset litho show. The rise of digital presses and a decline in the number of offset presses seen at the last three Graph Expos may have lowered the profile of conventional printing at the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC) events somewhat, but it’s plain to see that the traditional ink-on-paper process is back in full force this year.

At Print 09, the Search for A New Beginning Is On

Published September 14, 2009

Bernhard Schreier has seen five economic crises since he joined Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG in 1975, the first of them being the one brought on by the oil embargo that threw businesses around the world into a tailspin. He also recalls the stock market meltdown that the printing industry was only starting to recover from on September 11, 2001, before the awful events of that day threw it and the rest of the U.S. economy back into a state of shock.

Articles by Patrick Henry