WhatTheyThink is the global printing industry's go-to information source with both print and digital offerings, including WhatTheyThink.com, WhatTheyThink Email Newsletters, and the WhatTheyThink magazine. Our mission is to inform, educate, and inspire the industry. We provide cogent news and analysis about trends, technologies, operations, and events in all the markets that comprise today's printing and sign industries including commercial, in-plant, mailing, finishing, sign, display, textile, industrial, finishing, labels, packaging, marketing technology, software and workflow.
Displaying 801-900 of 4651 articles
Published June 21, 2019
In 2016, there were 194,792 employees in establishments in NAICS 54181 (Advertising Agencies). Employment in this category has grown +31% from 2010 to 2016.
Published June 21, 2019
Mary Meeker Slide Roulette. 3D Fashion Editor. An app-controlled animatronic tail. A N.H. highway historical marker commemorates the creation of BASIC. Note to press briefers: turn off the kitten filter. The USPS combats postal box fishing. A look at Laurence Sterne’s classic “Tristram Shandy.” Who wouldn’t want a Marie Curie birthday cake? Internet-transmitting lights. Crocheted body parts. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published June 20, 2019
Pat McGrew, President of McGrew Group, talks about convergence and what it means for the printing industry.
Published June 14, 2019
Printing shipments for April were up from March, happily disrupting what has become the usual seasonal pattern. Even better, April 2019 shipments came in above April 2018 shipments.
Published June 14, 2019
Data nerds rejoice: Mary Meeker’s 2019 Internet Trends Report is out. The Japanese art of kirie. Robotaxies to take flight. Barnes & Noble sold to a hedge fund. Fujifilm resumes making black-and-white film. Light up your brain, ostensibly. “The queen of eating shellfish online.” A Stephen Hawking-esque voice synthesizer performs “Ice Ice Baby.” All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published June 13, 2019
John Kaufman, Senior Marketing Specialist for Canon Solutions America, takes us on a tour of the Océ Colorado wide-format printer with faster automation and an endless array of configurations for both small and wide format printing.
Published June 10, 2019
Kevin Duffy, VP of Sales and Marketing for Vycom, outlines a variety of unique substrates available to the sign industry, including Celtec PVC and Polycarve products.
Published June 10, 2019
Bryan Manwaring, Director of Product Marketing for Onyx Graphics, talks about the 30-year evolution of the company's wide-format RIP software, focused on helping customers and print shops boost profitability.
Published June 7, 2019
Quantifying fashion’s environmental footprint. Transforming the bookstore into a “cultural department store.” A profile of revolutionary designer Cipe Peneles. Buy your own Follows and Likes. Caution: Correlation vs. Causation. Using hyphens in academic paper titles adversely affects citations stats. Nuclear tests can help spot art forgeries. An AR-enabled book about the history of rocket launches. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published June 7, 2019
In 2016, there were 472,163 employees in establishments in NAICS 5418 (Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services). Employment in this category has grown +15% from 2010 to 2016.
Published June 6, 2019
Bert Benckhuysen of Mimaki talks about how to imagine the future of print and the "internet of things"—it's all about connecting printers in an integrated workflow with ERP software, robots, cutting solutions, cameras, and more. Mimaki's IP Job Control software brings Mimaki printers into the Internet of Things, enabling an end-to-end workflow with minimal human intervention.
Published June 6, 2019
Simon Landau, Director of the Americas for PrintFactory, talks about the company, the current state of color management, and PrintFactory's software solutions available to the wide-format market.
Published June 5, 2019
Josh Brasher, President of EBSCO Sign Group, offers a primer on LED signage, discussing the technology and the business model.
Published June 5, 2019
At Kodak’s GUA event celebrating the 20th anniversary of Prinergy, WhatTheyThink Contributing Editor Pat McGrew talks to John O'Grady, President, Print Systems Division, Eastman Kodak Company, about his vision for the new Kodak. Specifically, in order to continue to be of value to their customers, Kodak needs to show them ways to be more effective and more efficient, and to reduce costs.
Published June 4, 2019
Jason Hamilton, Solutions Architect for Agfa, talks about the company's goal to help small to mid-tier sign shops grow their business not only through equipment and technology but through a business partnership.
Published June 3, 2019
Yoshi Oe, General Manager of Global Business for Horizon Systems, talks about the company's new smart binding system, a fully-integrated and automated unwinder, cutter, folder, binder, and three-knife trimmer.
Published June 3, 2019
At Kodak’s GUA event celebrating the 20th anniversary of Prinergy, WhatTheyThink Contributing Editor Pat McGrew talks to Todd Bigger about his new role as President of Kodak's Software Division, his personal journey in the industry, and Kodak’s renewed commitment to reinvesting in print and developing new products, particularly in the areas of automation and cloud-based technology.
Published June 3, 2019
Ester Sala, Global Business Director for HP, talks about the development and launch of the new HP STITCH dye-sublimation textile printing portfolio. By working alongside their customers, HP has created a product to solve real-life problems.
Published May 31, 2019
In our annual Print Business Outlook Survey, we found that the top opportunities for print businesses included some newer, proactive items, with some of the old chestnuts falling off the tree. As we saw with recent Business Challenges, could this reflect a “changing of the guard” of print business management?
Published May 31, 2019
The clamor to keep print books in academic libraries. 10 reasons to get a New York Public Library card. NYC opens first poster museum. Fry your brain with this new optical illusion. $9500 for a dress that doesn’t actually exist. Meredith sells Sports Illustrated...but not the magazine. The mysterious origin of the dollar sign. Let us proclaim the mystery of tape. Hockey pucks for the blind. For sale: one Wienermobile. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published May 30, 2019
Pat Janowski, Global Sales Director for Proactive Technologies, talks about this boutique computer systems builder focused on the printing industry that began as a file server in the 1980s, as well as the importance of hardware in RIPing and other prepress processes.
Published May 30, 2019
Dirk Deroo, CEO of Dataline, talks about the founding of his company in his attic and why its modular approach to ERP for the graphic arts industry adds value for the industry. In addition to product development experts, Dataline puts substantial focus on project management/implementation. The company has 8,000 users across all segments of print including textiles.
Published May 29, 2019
Molly Waters, Senior Technical Specialist for Avery Dennison, talks about the technology demonstrated at the ISA Sign Expo in Las Vegas, including their MPI 1405 PVC-Free film that won the ISA Innovation Award, as well as vehicle wrapping and environmental printing.
Published May 28, 2019
Santi Morera, General Manager and Global Head of Graphics Solutions Business for HP, discusses the company's strategy for dye sublimation in the textile market and how the new HP Stitch fits into the current HP portfolio.
Published May 24, 2019
in 2016, there were 37,875 establishments in NAICS 5418 (Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services). Two-thirds of these establishments (65%) have under four employees, 79% have under 10 employees, and 88% have under 20 employees. The largest agencies (100 or more employees) only account for 2% of all establishments.
Published May 24, 2019
Sex weasels of classical portraiture. Times Square billboard under fire. Fanatics becomes the Amazon of sports apparel. The West Wing Weekly podcast looks at campaign design and typography. Using QR codes to assist dementia patients. Is there money in art? The tragedy of AirPods. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published May 22, 2019
Anthony Hemsworth, Team Leader for My Graphic Design Team, talks with Kelley Holmes about the importance of good graphic design and what it means to the printing industry and its customers.
Published May 21, 2019
Wim Maes, Executive Director at Summa, talks about the company's entry into textiles to address the bottleneck created in the cutting department as textile printers gain in speed. The company acquired CadCam Technology, resulting in the development of the Summa L3214, a 3.2-meter laser cutting device that cuts while the fabric feeds across the table, enabling cutting at 800 square meters per hour.
Published May 20, 2019
Adele Genoni, Vice President and General Manager of EFI Reggiani, talks with Senior Editor Cary Sherburne about EFI's sustainable approach to digital textile printing, from design through production and finishing, including two sustainable inks to cover virtually all fabric types.
Published May 17, 2019
Adding visual information to register receipts. 75 years of ISA. A recently discovered 500-year-old library catalog of lost books. Our dwindling helium supply. Does conference room air negatively affect decision-making? Plant-based lighting. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published May 17, 2019
Frank caught up with Christian Knapp of Highcon at the recent Canadian Graphic Arts show. Highcon is a pioneer in automatic creasing and laser diecutting.
Published May 16, 2019
Mark Hanley of I.T. Strategies talks about the vibrant digital print market represented at FESPA 2019 in Münich, Germany.
Published May 14, 2019
Julian Joffe, President of Engineered Printing Solutions, talks about the history of the company and their ability to print on a variety of surfaces.
Published May 13, 2019
Steve Newton, Software Solutions Manager for HP Large Format, talks with Kelley Holmes about HP's cloud-based "smart printing" for wide-format, facilitated through PrintOS, and introduces HP's Stitch for the dye-sublimation market.
Published May 13, 2019
Ken Hanulec, VP of Marketing for EFI, talks about what customers are looking for in a wide-format printer: lower total cost, expansion of capabilities, and reliability.
Published May 10, 2019
Overall printing employment dropped -0.7% from March to April 2019 and on a year-over-year basis is down -2.9%. Production employment dropped a tad from March to April, and is down -4.5% from April 2018. Non-production employment was up +0.6% from April 2018 to April 2019.
Published May 10, 2019
OnPoint named Alabama Manufacturer of the Year. New dress shirts. The origin of the word “dude.” A dark vision of the future of advertising. Will we ever be able to see more colors? The long lost Marx Brothers movie written by Salvador Dalí. Selling whisky with parrots. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published May 9, 2019
Tammi Johnson, Business Development Manager for 3M, talks about the Graphics Hub, a software and website platform for sign and graphics manufacturers, which features a suite of tools including the Install Wizard, which won Business Services/Software Innovation Award at the ISA Sign Expo last month.
Published May 9, 2019
Julie Watson, CEO of Ultimate TechnoGraphics, talks about the breadth of automated software solutions available as either standalone applications or integrated into a variety of third-party products and established workflows.
Published May 8, 2019
Brandon Hensley, COO of the International Sign Association, and Joshua Carruth, Trade Show Director for Emerald Expositions, talk about how digital printing technology is driving convergence across wide-format, signage, and textile printing.
Published May 7, 2019
Ed Nicholson, Project Manager for Carey Color Inc., talks to David Zwang about what being a “color separator” means today, and how Carey Color serves as the middleman between ad agencies and printers. The company has also branched into flexographic platemaking—a venture that has taken off with flexo’s recent rebirth.
Published May 7, 2019
Christine Erna of Strategic Postal Advisors and Scott Eganhouse of TEC Mailing Solutions discuss the trends in the automation of workflow centered around transactional documentation and managing data from a centralized location.
Published May 6, 2019
Ross Burnham, Senior Marketing Manager for Mactac, talks about Mactac's 60th anniversary, and how Mactac materials are allowing owners of Canon Solutions America's Océ Colorado 1640 wide-format printer produce a wide variety of applications.
Published May 6, 2019
Ralf Schlozer, Director of Keypoint Intelligence-InfoTrends, discusses the trends he saw at Hunkeler Innovationdays, including print quality improvements in current production inkjet technologies.
Published May 3, 2019
A new history of writing exhibition. Towels that tell you when to wash them. Why the Red Cross loves Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five.” Send a physical letter...by email. Making ink from oak galls. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published May 3, 2019
In Winter 2018/2019, we conducted our annual Print Business Outlook Survey and found that the top challenges for print businesses included some new cares and concerns with some of the old challenges falling by the wayside. Could this reflect a “changing of the guard” of print business management?
Published May 2, 2019
Rick Mazur of Kodak's Enterprise Inkjet Division talks with Kelley Holmes about the technological breakthroughs Kodak and Uteco have made in inkjet flexible packaging printing. Although inkjet adoption in flexible packaging has been slow, Kodak sees tremendous interest and potential for growth.
Published April 30, 2019
Kristen Dettoni, Founder of Design Pool, talks about the company's online library of designs, and how Design Pool is a kind of Shutterstock for the commercial and residential interior design industry.
Published April 29, 2019
Brandon Hensley, COO of the International Sign Association (ISA), and Joshua Carruth, Trade Show Director for Emerald Expositions, discuss their partnership with ISA and colocation in Orlando next year.
Published April 26, 2019
In 2016, there were 5,650 Sign Manufacturing establishments (NAICS 33995). The decline and rise of sign manufacturing over the course of the 2010s reflects the impact of the Great Recession, as well as the recovery and the growth of digital printing into traditional signmaking.
Published April 26, 2019
10% of Americans do not use the Internet. The Comma Queen” tours Greece. The rise of the Post Office—and the decline of dueling. A new app measures the loudness of restaurants. The Presidential candidates’ typography. A requiem for the old Penn Station. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published April 26, 2019
In 2020, the ISA Sign Expo will colocate with Impressions Expo (formerly the Imprinted Sportswear Show). Lori Anderson, CEO and President of ISA, talks about the advantages of this colocation for both shows.
Published April 25, 2019
Pat McGrew interviews Jan-Olef Jungersten, CEO of Visutech Digital AB, about his print philosophy and the importance of customer education to create profit.
Published April 25, 2019
FastSigns President Catherine Monson discusses trends in the sign industry from environmental graphics to dynamic digital signage.
Published April 24, 2019
David Spencer, President and CEO of SpencerMetrics, analyzes how people, machines, and workflow come together to identify and minimize wasted time to reduce costs.
Published April 24, 2019
Scott Leger and Gary Barnes of FUJIFILM discuss the shift from analog to inkjet technology for late-stage customization and the higher speed of variable print.
Published April 23, 2019
Rob Malay, Product Development Manager for VDI, was a keynote speaker at InPrint 2019. He talks to Kelley Holmes about metallizing, and VDI's converting of polymer webs, metal foils, and flexible glass substrates for printing industry applications.
Published April 19, 2019
Printing shipments for February 2019 came in at $6.08 billion. In keeping with the industry’s seasonality, it’s down from January, but so far 2019 shipments are higher than 2018’s.
Published April 19, 2019
The first Heavy Metal Knitting World Championships. Running shoes that can be recycled. A 3D-printed human heart. Danger! Facebook is launching a voice assistant! Run! Cursive handwriting is coming back. Netflix is producing a magazine. “Balloon-related incidents.” All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published April 18, 2019
Hans Gut, VP of Marketing for Hunkeler AG, talks about the importance of drupa 2020 as a showcase for the industry, and Hunkeler's innovations in automation, workflow, and systems integration.
Published April 17, 2019
Greg Painter, owner of FASTSIGNS of Helena (Mont.), takes us on a tour of his unconventional showroom complete with an upstairs diner and other iconic elements from Helen's storied past. All of it is designed to pay tribute to the history of the town and show customers many of the applications available.
Published April 16, 2019
Kevin Marks, VP of Global Production Print for Bluecrest, talks about the company's involvement in production print and direct mail, as communication continues to change.
Published April 15, 2019
Dawn Olson of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S., helps customers who have invested in industrial print solutions profit from their investment as quickly as possible. She encourages those in the label and packaging world to take advantage of the opportunities in packaging for ecommerce.
Published April 15, 2019
Div Bhingradia, owner of FASTSIGNS Mooresville (N.C.), left his corporate job to open his own sign shop and take advantage of the fast-growing North Carolina business environment. FASTSIGNS helped him navigate an industry with which he was unfamiliar.
Published April 12, 2019
In 2016, there were 2,556 establishments classified as Outdoor Advertising (NAICS 54185). In 2010, NAICS 54185 comprised 2,378 establishments—but note that the Census Bureau changed the name of this category in 2012.
Published April 12, 2019
The current state of the US textile industry. Ironic commemorative stamps. Making a giant paper dragon. Photographing a black hole. A font of typography news. An encyclopedia of unknowns. Robot-penned books. A screenwriter toys with a Facebook Messenger scammer. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published April 11, 2019
Frazer Chesterman, co-founder of InPrint, talks with Kelley Holmes about this year's event, the move to Louisville, Ky., and what the future holds for the organization.
Published April 11, 2019
Carles Farre, Director of Commercial Business for PageWide Industrial at HP, talks about new features and capabilities that build on HP's High Definition Nozzle Architecture (HDNA) platform to give customers more productivity and versatility.
Published April 10, 2019
Steve Kouroupas, owner of FASTSIGNS of Greenville (N.C.), spent 10 years in the commercial printing industry and in 2016 looked into opening his own sign business by purchasing a FASTSIGNS franchise. He's found the sign business to be a "mashup of printing, graphics, and construction."
Published April 9, 2019
Steve Myrvold, EVP of Operations for IWCO Direct, talks about the fully-integrated direct mail company and their mix of digital and offset equipment.
Published April 5, 2019
In Winter 2018/2019, we conducted our annual Print Business Outlook Survey and found that business in 2018 was perceived by survey respondents as overall pretty good: 42% said that revenues had increased by six percent or more compared to 2017.
Published April 5, 2019
April Fool’s Day: some cautionary tales. Pantone’s color matching for 3D printing. Be careful when you share your screen. Repossessing eBooks. Gin and tonic toothpaste. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published April 5, 2019
Frank opines about printing press operators. The number of legacy presses has created a need for operators because they are all somewhat different and at any rate schools don't graduate operators of specific machines. Recognizing this problem, the state of Minnesota has created a grant program to help train press operators.
Published April 1, 2019
It's April 1, and that can only mean one thing: the annual WhatTheyThink video blooper reel!
Published March 29, 2019
In 2010, there were 8,219 establishments classified as PR Agencies. By 2016, there had been a net gain of +3.2%.
Published March 29, 2019
“The craft, precision, and unexpected beauty of the newspaper printing process.” Rebirth of a paper mill. Keyless in New York. The 14th-Century Mappa Mundi. “Alien”: The Play. Garfield phones storm the beaches. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published March 29, 2019
Frank found an archive of books on sales and marketing at CalPoly. He is surprised by how many there are and enumerates a few titles. He especially likes “How to Grow Rich Selling Printing.”
Published March 28, 2019
Bob Olde Hampsink, Director of Ipskamp Printing B.V., a book manufacturer in the Netherlands, talks about how the company has adapted over the years and switched to digital production as customers transition to smaller-quantity printing.
Published March 27, 2019
Dayton, Ohio's Larry Miller converted his Ham Signs vehicle lettering and sign shop to a FASTSIGNS franchise in 2013. He talks with Kelley Holmes about his nearly three decades in the industry, the fun of running a FASTSIGNS franchise, and how they never have the same day twice.
Published March 26, 2019
Martin Bailey, CTO of Global Graphics Software, discusses how far inkjet has come in catching up with offset production quality—and how much it still must improve.
Published March 25, 2019
Michelle Maynor, "Print-cess" at Interior Graphics and Printing in Fairbanks, Alaska, talks with Richard Romano at the NPOA Conference about the company's 70+-year history and how it has grown from business printing to adding wide-format and promotional graphics.
Published March 22, 2019
Overall, annualized printing industry profits for Q4 2018 were $3.66 billion—not a massive gain from Q3 but a gain nonetheless (we’ll take it). It also appears that the “tale of two cities” trend is—at least temporarily—on hold.
Published March 22, 2019
Which book was the most popular in your state in 2018? Did early humans' dietary changes affect speech? What new words did the OED add to the English lexicon? How are Gen Zers’ sustainable buying preferences driving new apparel products? Is Munch’s “Scream” guy actually screaming? People still use MySpace? Have you heard Vienna’s Vegetable Orchestra? All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published March 21, 2019
Sarah Barr, Owner of Konhaus Print and Marketing, talks with Richard Romano at the National Print Owners Association (NPOA) Conference about navigating the world of print as a new owner, and how her company can help customers with marketing.
Published March 19, 2019
Paul Morgavi, CTO of Ink Jet and Novel Printing for Xerox, discusses updates to the Trivor and Rialto lines of production inkjet presses, including increased productivity and enhanced image quality. Xerox provides an end-to-end solutions for customers through extended software, workflow, and printing system integration.
Published March 18, 2019
Charlene Sims, President of The Master's Press and new National Print Owners Association (NPOA) board member, talks about her 43-year print journey and her plans for leasing the NPOA into the future.
Published March 18, 2019
Matthew Romero, a FASTSIGNS franchisee, has been in the printing industry his entire life. He opened a sign shop in 2015 and greatly expanded what he could offer by being part of the FASTSIGNS network. He also talks about a mural project he recently completed for a local high school.
Published March 15, 2019
Print books remain more popular than digital formats. Save the date: WTIN’s digital textile webinar. The first laptop typewriter. Why did people stop wearing hats? An exhibition of really tiny books. Unlucky in love? Try writing to a tree. (No, not D. Eadward Tree.) All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published March 15, 2019
In 2010, there were 13,248 establishments classified as Advertising Agencies. By 2016, there had been a net gain of +1.0%, the ups and downs reflecting the changing role of the ad agency.
Published March 14, 2019
Pat McGrew, Inkjet Evangelist, talks with Sylvain Faligand of HP about the company's Service Edge platform. HP's Service Edge leverages the best of HP's prices and tools to help the customer grow, be efficient, be autonomous, and meet their business objectives.
Published March 14, 2019
Johann Schmidbauer, Marketing Director of Canon PPP EMEA Commercial Printing, showed a variety of production inkjet and toner digital printing devices at Hunkeler Innovationdays and discusses updates to the Océ ProStream 1000 Inkjet Press including the ability to print on paper weights up to 300GSM.
Published March 13, 2019
Adina Shorr, CEO of Scodix, talks about the digital embellishment and enhancement, especially in packaging production. Thanks to its ability to mass customize printed packaging, digital embellishments can turn something that is functional—a package—into a form of communication, ultimately changing the way that products are consumed.
Published March 11, 2019
David Murphy, Director of Marketing and Business Development for HP PageWide Industrial, talks about the current state of production inkjet, its growth in applications such as direct mail and other commercial work, and the billions of pages being produced by HP PageWide Web Press customers. Helping drive page volumes are new technologies such as HP ColorPRO, HP’s Bonding Agents, the Media Certification Program, and the just-introduced D22 Priming Solution that allows PageWide Web Presses to print on offset coated media.
Published March 8, 2019
Printing shipments for December 2018 came in at $6.40 billion. In keeping with the industry’s new seasonality, that’s down from November, but higher than December 2017—but just barely.
Published March 8, 2019
Forensic garment analysts. Fast fashion and the environment. A toast matching system. John Steinbeck sends Marilyn Monroe a fan letter...sort of. Death of a robot. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published March 7, 2019
Eric Hawkinson, VP of Marketing for Canon Solutions America, talks about his first visit to Hunkeler Innovationdays and Canon's Océ VarioPrint i300 and Océ ProStream 1000 production inkjet systems on display during the event.
Published March 5, 2019
John Henry, CEO of Mitchell's Speedway Press Printing and Programs and Events Director for the National Print Owners Association (NPOA), talks about the advantages of NPOA membership and how both the association and the annual conference have grown in the last seven years.
Published March 1, 2019
In 2010, there were 38,335 establishments classified as Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services. By 2016, there had been a net loss of -1.2%. This is a very broad industry classification, comprising a disparate bunch of business types, each of which has its own unique dynamics.
Published March 1, 2019
Getting a text from sender to receiver. The Internet of shoes. Nuclear testing and Kodak film. An oral history of “Office Space.” In praise of standards. Retrieving DNA from old books. Digitize yourself for the perfect fit. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Published March 1, 2019
Benoit Chatelard, CEO of Xeikon, talks about the future of the company, inkjet, and the advantage of continuous feed, as well as success through automation.
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