SCREEN Partners with EFI to Enable Fiery Digital Front End Integration with EQUIOS Workflow

Published July 30, 2018

June Printing Employment Down Y/Y

Published July 27, 2018

Overall, printing employment ticked up from May to June 2018, but on a year-over-year basis is down -1.8% from June 2017. Among the creative markets, PR is the place to be.

Around the Web: Amazon to Replace Libraries? – Book Fore-Edge Painting – The Truth About Recycled Clothing – Japan’s Looming “Y2K”-Like Problem – This Week in Printing History

Published July 27, 2018

Forbes columnist suggests replacing public libraries with Amazon stores, for some reason. The economic costs of comma misuse. Built-in sun protection for garments. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Your OEM Wants You to Find The Right Paper

Published July 26, 2018

Print OEMs need to understand that, for the foreseeable future, they will be judged as much on their paper program as the print technology they offer to the market.

i3logix Inkjet Journey - Video

Published July 25, 2018

Steve Wolffis of i3Logix shares his experience with moving from a toner-based web to an inkjet web that doubled their color capacity, improved color quality and reduced costs.

Inkjet in Label Printing – Part 1

Published July 24, 2018

Chris Lynn explores the reasons why toner and inkjet account for under 10% of the volume of labels printed last year and why the label sector of the packaging market was the first to adopt digital technologies despite the uphill battle.

Kelley Holmes Talks About Printing News Joining WhatTheyThink

Published July 23, 2018

WhatTheyThink today announced that the Printing News Group is joining the organization to strengthen the industry’s most extensive independent news and analysis platform with both print and digital media covering commercial printing, wide format, labels, packaging, signage, specialty graphics, textiles and other industrial applications of print technology.

Around the Web: The Virtual Dressing Room – Cool Threads – Underwear Knife – Biobased Car – This Week in Printing History

Published July 20, 2018

Try on clothes virtually. As bad as flying is, it used to be worse. World’s first biobased, circular car has been successfully designed and built. Men’s boxer shorts turned into a knife. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Inkjet as Part of a Portfolio - Video

Published July 19, 2018

Steve Welkley discusses opportunities for Inkjet as part of an overall production portfolio that takes advantage of the best that each platform has to offer.

White Paper: Océ VarioPrint i300 Offers Flexibility and Growth

Published July 18, 2018

Production inkjet has been limited in its ability to produce customized jobs on a wide range of substrates due to a predominantly roll-fed approach. Canon’s research and development of sheet-fed inkjet presses has addressed customization and substrate flexibility while bringing the benefits of inkjet printing to an expanded application range.

Paper Suppliers and Crisis Communications

Published July 17, 2018

My last post, Paper Supply and Strategic Planning, continued our coverage of paper shortage in the U.S. market. This post offers suggestions to mills and paper merchants on how they can help print providers navigate this difficult time.

How to Hide Banding

Published July 16, 2018

If you see banding in continuous solid colors, ask the designer  if "mixing up" that continuous solid is possible. Adding random patterns to large solid colors makes cross process print head density shifts less visible when multiple heads across the web are used to produce the solids.

IWCO Direct's Journey to Inkjet

Published July 13, 2018

Robert Clark of IWCO Direct discusses their experience migrating from conventional print to production inkjet. The pros far outweighed the cons, but that doesn't mean the journey to inkjet came without a learning curve.

May Printing Shipments Up from April, Closing in on 2017 Levels

Published July 13, 2018

Printing shipments for May 2018 came in at $6.77 billion, up +3.1% from April. However, on an inflation-adjusted basis, May 2018 came in below the $6.92 billion reported in May 2017, and is well below the recent high of $7.46 billion back in May 2016.

Around the Web: Pet Allergen-Free Textiles – Social Media Around the World – Pink Is the Oldest Color – 3D Printed Car – A Decade of Smartphone Apps – This Week in Printing History

Published July 13, 2018

A new technology can remove pet allergens from textiles (and that’s nothing to sneeze at). The retail transformation heats up. Scientists find the oldest (1.1 billion years) colors. ColorZenith uses Massivit technology to 3D print a classic car for Milan’s La Scala opera house. The Morgan Library & Museum in NYC is exhibiting a unique autograph collection. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

From Traditional to Digital in Corrugated

Published July 11, 2018

Chuck Slingerland, Vice President of Sales and Digital Operations for Abbott-Action, takes us through the digital journey for a traditional corrugated converter.

Paper Supply and Strategic Planning

Published July 10, 2018

Inkjet Insight is closely watching the challenging paper shortage in the U.S. market. Our team  has covered different aspects of this topic from pulp trends to impacts to the supply chain. Most recently, we have been interviewing subject matter experts throughout the paper supply chain to gain a holistic view of the market. It’s clear that the tight paper market is driving frustration and change and it’s incumbent on participants throughout the supply chain to consider how to solve this challenge.

Global Graphics ScreenPro Version 2 Reduces Non-uniformity in Production Inkjet Printing

Published July 10, 2018

Primer, Super Ink or Door Number 3? - Video

Published July 9, 2018

Eric Wiesner, General Manager of HP PageWide Industrial Division provides background on HP's decision to expand the range of media compatibility for HP devices using a pre-coat or primer rather than adding additional solvents, resins and other chemistry to the ink.

Understand Drying Differences

Published July 9, 2018

The wrong drying configuration on an #inkjet press can torture the paper without properly drying the ink. Learn about the best drying options to match your type of work, ink type and coverage.

Around the Web: New Water-Repellent Textiles – A 3D Printing Playbook – CliffsNotes for Food Labels – Missile Mail! – Public Libraries’ Streaming Services – This Week in Printing History

Published July 6, 2018

A new process reduces the environmental impact of water-repellent textiles. Harvard Business Review looks at new possibilities for 3D printing. New health benefits of coffee. The best streaming service may just be your public library. RIP Harlan Ellison. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Ask Questions About the Digital Front End

Published July 2, 2018

Don’t blindly accept the DFE bundled with the press. Ask about color management, variable data and file handling features of the DFE. Consider all of your DFE options and find the best fit for your workflow.

Zanders GmbH Restructuring Process Continues

Published June 29, 2018

The restructuring process for Zanders GmbH continues. Restructuring Director Igor Ferlan and external consultants manage Zanders in collaboration with lawyer d'Avoine and his team. Everyone involved is optimistic that they will be able to create a stable future for Zanders.

Around the Web: Amazon’s On-Demand T-shirts – Cooking a 4,000-year-old recipe – “Cash is grief” – Mary Meeker Slide Roulette – This Week in Printing History

Published June 29, 2018

A "historical culinary event" featured a 4,000-year-old Mesopotamian recipe carved on a cuneiform tablet. Modern air conditioning was originally invented for a Brooklyn commercial print shop. Amazon beats out Google for product searches. The World Cup gives a lift to streaming services. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Hume Media Switches to Inkjet with Xerox Technology

Published June 28, 2018

John Hume, President of Hume Media Inc., talks about the history of his company and the upgrades he's made to his printing equipment over the years, first with the Xerox iGen and now Brenva HD production inkjet press.

Ricoh Changes the Inkjet Game, Introducing Additional Inks and the New RICOH Pro VC70000

Published June 25, 2018

Ricoh USA Inc. today announced the newest addition to its award-winning inkjet portfolio, the RICOH Pro VC70000, built to accelerate the transfer of offset print volumes to digital. The new continuous feed platform empowers commercial printers to produce quality applications, such as high-end catalogs and magazines, traditionally expected from offset presses. Additionally, Ricoh-developed inks enable up to 40 percent savings in paper costs while also expanding media support to offset-coated papers, untreated papers and more.

Around the Web: No More Sweater Pilling – Body Scanning – That Micro Moment – Flexo Innovation – Mary Meeker Slide Roulette – Escalators!!! – This Week in Printing History

Published June 22, 2018

Australian researchers have found a way to minimize unsightly pilling and help garments look better longer. HyperCard, the first application for creating interactive documents, was inspired by an acid trip. Fad Fashion? Micro Moments? Learn the new textile lexicon. Rats break into an ATM and eat $17K in cash. A random slide from Mary Meeker’s “Internet Trends Report.” Amazon’s Alexa will soon be sharing your hotel room. A keyboard that can fit in your pocket. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Compare Costs of Complete Solutions

Published June 18, 2018

Compare Costs of Complete Solutions. Don't conduct TCO or eliminate press options until you have configured a complete solution. An “expensive” press may look reasonable once you configure the “bargain” press with drying, priming, turn-bar, premium ink, software and finishing. Compare fair!

Around the Web: Bats in the Biblioteca – Mary Meeker Slide Roulette – DIY T Shirt Printing – “Recycled” Ancient Manuscripts – Bloomsday – This Week in Printing History

Published June 15, 2018

A library in Portugal uses a colony of bats to help preserve old books and documents. The UK is confounded by the name change from “Salad Cream” to “Sandwich Cream.” The new heroes of our age: Country Time Lemonade and Domino’s Pizza? A random slide from Mary Meeker’s “Internet Trends Report.” Uncovering lost “data” from ancient manuscripts. What happened this week in printing and publishing history. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Marco Boer on the Océ LabelStream 4000 - Video

Published June 14, 2018

We caught up with Marco Boer at the unveiling of the Océ LabelStream 4000. Canon is entering the label and packaging market with a high-end, hybrid system targeting adhesive label applications. Marco provides a great overview of what was learned in Germany.

Trends in High-Performance Apparel

Published June 14, 2018

Mark Sunderland, Textile Engineer and Strategist at Thomas Jefferson University, discusses high-performance apparel and products, including new and emerging trends in moisture management and "wearables."

In-Plants and Outsourcing: The Perennial Problem

Published June 13, 2018

At this year's IPMA Conference, Howie Fenton addresses one of the perennial challenges that in-plant printing departments face: their parent company outsourcing print and other related work. He offers some suggestions for bringing that work back in-house.

IPMA 2018 Conference Update: In-Plant Printing Trends and Challenges

Published June 12, 2018

Mike Loyd, Executive Director of the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA), talks about the major trends affecting in-plant printing departments, the challenges faced by in-plant operations managers, and the value of the annual IPMA Conference.

Understand Press Settings & Profiles

Published June 11, 2018

A different profile is needed for each paper AND the press settings it will be run under. Speed, TAC and resolution factors can all affect color chroma, density, graininess, small text clarity and line raggedness. Differences at top speed can be dramatic on some presses.

Around the Web: GDPR as Sleep Therapy – Vintage NSA Workplace Posters – “Smart Hemp” – New iOS AR Features – Mary Meeker Slide Roulette – Mermaids for Hire – This Week in Printing History

Published June 8, 2018

Government Attic discovered a load of NSA workplace posters from the 50s, 60s, and 70s—you can even get them on a T shirt. A 3D printer outputs custom-designed pancakes. Don’t call it “dope”: hemp used for intelligent textiles. A random slide from Mary Meeker’s “Internet Trends Report.” What happened this week in printing and publishing history. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

New EFI Reggiani Pigment Textile Ink Eliminates Need for Post-Treatment

Published June 8, 2018

Giorgio Sala of EFI Reggiani talks about the company's new pigment-based ink for the FLEXY textile printer. The new ink contains a binder that eliminates the need for post-treatment, such as washing or steaming of the fabric, after printing.

Famous Last Words

Published June 8, 2018

There are about 8,000 spoken languages left on this planet and they are disappearing at one language every two weeks. Some have fewer than 1,000 speakers left. Frank opines in what we think is English.

Potential for Inkjet in Packaging

Published June 7, 2018

The package printing climate is changing, and waves of new technology are breaking on the shores of short-run work, but the packaging mainland is mostly unaffected so far. Chris Lynn offers insights on the packaging market for inkjet.

Mimaki Unleashes New Tiger Textile Printing System

Published June 7, 2018

Bert Benckhuysen, Senior Product Manager, EMEA, for Mimaki, introduces the new Tiger textile printing system, capable of both direct-to-fabric and transfer-based dye sublimation. Mimaki has also incorporated Tiger into its own microfactory concept for fast fashion and other textile-based applications.

Scott Schinlever Continues Analog-to-Digital Transformation at Gerber Technology

Published June 7, 2018

Scott Schinlever, President of Automation Services for Gerber Technology, discusses the similarities and differences between digital and analog, as well as his move from EFI to Gerber.

Durst's Textile Printing Strategy

Published June 6, 2018

Fabio Gromo, Global Sales Manager of Textile Printing for durst, describes the durst line of textile printers and capabilities as well as the company's strategies with respect to the digital textile printing industry.

Factors Driving the Growth of Industrial Printing

Published June 6, 2018

Marcus Timson, Co-Founder of the InPrint Industrial Inkjet Conference, discusses the reasons for the growing popularity of industrial printing, including the plateauing of traditional print markets, the maturity of digital inkjet and its advantages in industrial applications, and changing consumer behaviors.

Evaluating Devices - HP Perspective - Video

Published June 5, 2018

Elizabeth asked David Murphy of HP PageWide Industrial what he thought customers should be considering and his first response was to say that customers should be taking a long term view - multiple years out. He said customers should be thinking in terms of the ability for the device to remain relevant as inkjet continues to evolve.

Understand Job Productivity

Published June 4, 2018

Not all presses will produce their top quality at top speed. Understand the impact of sheet size or web width, media type, ink coverage and actual production speed (not rated speed) on your achievable Images Per Minute (IPM). There are many other issues that impact overall productivity - but it starts at the press for each job.

SAi Brings AR Capabilities to Signmaking

Published June 4, 2018

Annette Plummer, Director of Marketing for SAi, a developer of software for the signmaking industry, discusses the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in signmaking.

RadLaunch Helps Start-Ups Make Connections

Published June 4, 2018

Nir Waiskopf, Ph.D., of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, attended the RadTech UV+EB 2018 Conference as part of RadLaunch, an "idea accelerator" for start-ups, students, and innovators. Dr. Waiskopf chose the RadTech conference for its educational and networking opportunities, seeking potential collaborators and partners for some of the projects he is helping develop.

Around the Web: E License Plates – Direct-to-Egg Printing – Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report – 36 Days of Type – This Week in Printing History

Published June 1, 2018

California experiments with E Ink-based license plates. Mary Meeker’s hotly anticipated annual Internet trends presentation has arrived. The first “cyberattack” took place nearly 200 years ago. A beautiful and brilliant collection of crowdsourced letter and number designs. ANA Acquires DMA. What happened this week in printing and publishing history. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Roland Is Looking for Heroes

Published June 1, 2018

At FESPA Berlin, Gillian Montanaro, Head of Marketing for EMEA Roland, talks about the launch of the Roland Hero Campaign, in which Roland collects and presents their customers' inspiring stories. (For more information, visit www.rolandhero.com.)

Frank Thinks Around the Outside of the Box

Published June 1, 2018

A visitor to the Museum of Printing donated an old, handheld rotary letterpress device for marking boxes and cartons. Frank dates it back to the early 20th century, and contrasts it with a modern, handheld digital inkjet box-marking printer.

Dacar Digital Printing Purchases 100th EFI Roll-to-Roll Device

Published May 31, 2018

At FESPA 2018, EFI sold its 100th roll-to-roll device to Belgium's Dacar Digital Printing. Dacar's Dennis van der Lingen talks about his wide-format printing company that serves the Benelux region, talks about the kind of print work the company does, and the opportunities that are enabled by EFI products.

Lectra Launches Cutting 4.0, A New Platform for Textile Cutting

Published May 31, 2018

Frederic Gaillard, VP of Product Marketing for Lectra, talks to Cary Sherburne about Cutting 4.0, Lectra's new smart cutter for textile cutting that interfaces with Lectra Digital Cutting, a new cloud-based cutting platform. The machine receives orders and executes them, and sends back data so the entire process can be controlled in real time. The platform is designed to address the new challenges the company sees in the market, such as small runs and customization. The new platform also includes a fabric library.

Lighting and Color in Retail Spaces

Published May 30, 2018

Ann Laidlaw, Consultant for ACL Color Consulting LLC, talks to Cary Sherburne about how ambient lighting impacts our perception of color—an important consideration in retail environments where the lighting under which a consumer views a garment may be different from that under which the garment was manufactured. Compounding the problem is the latest trend toward LED lighting (of which there are many different kinds) in retail stores, which can impact how a particular colored garment is perceived.

When Launching a Business or a Product, Don’t Skimp on Marketing

Published May 30, 2018

Mark Abramson, President of Printform Corporation, talks about his experiences in starting a business that produces specialty-printed products, as well as his efforts in helping other entrepreneurs launch wide-format, industrial, and other specialty products. He shares some pieces of advice for success, a key one being to invest at least as much in marketing as in any other part of the business.

Streamlining and Automating On-Demand Textile Production

Published May 29, 2018

Kirby Best, President and CEO of Purchase Activated Apparel Technologies (PAAT), talks about one of the biggest challenges he found in the analog-to-digital transformation of textile printing: the difficulty of feeding information to the production equipment. To realize all the advantage of on-demand production, all the systems within the operation need to be in sync and "talking" to each other. He talks to Cary Sherburne about how PAAT overcame that challenge.

EFI's Inkjet Philosophy

Published May 29, 2018

Josh Samuel, Director of Ink Development at EFI, talks to David Zwang about EFI's inkjet philosophy: helping companies and even entire industries make a seamless transformation from analog to digital. EFI offers the machines, the inks, and the software as a larger system to help customers make that transformation.

Make Your Contract Match Your Business Case

Published May 28, 2018

If your business case assumes that the OEM is responsible for all costs of transfer, installation and testing – make sure that’s in the contract. Account for cost to move other equipment, if applicable and factor in labor and cost of down-time on other devices during transition. Consider a clause to cover costs of delays. Hope for the best and cover yourself for the worst.

Inside FESPA 2018's Print Make Wear "Fast Fashion" Microfactory

Published May 25, 2018

Debbie McKeegan, Textile Ambassador for FESPA 2018, walks us through the Print Make Wear microfactory and demonstrates the process of textile printing from beginning to end.

Around the Web: Investing in the Swamp – The Quest for Red Pigment – Scented Postage – The Retail Apocalypse Deferred – Blockchain and Digital Signage – Towel Day

Published May 25, 2018

Investing in companies by how much they spend on lobbying. Searching for a safe, bright red pigment. Making your mail smell like popsicles. Exaggerating the death of retail. All that and more in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Product and Technology Changes Afoot at Xeikon

Published May 24, 2018

At the recent Xeikon Café, Filip Weymans, Vice President of Marketing for Xeikon, discusses some recent technology and product changes that customers can look forward to, from the addition of dry toner and UV inkjet to a complete digital technology upgrade.

SEAMS: The Voice of the Sewn Products Industry

Published May 24, 2018

At this week's TechTextil, Will Duncan, Executive Director of SEAMS, talks about SEAMS which, for 50 years, has been the "voice" of the U.S. sewn products industry. Members include brands and retailers, as well as the textile supply sector. "Made in America" is the association's main initiative.

New 3D Hologram Solution for Label and Packaging Security

Published May 23, 2018

Matt Hirsch Ph.D., Co-Founder and CTO of Lumii, talks to David Zwang about a new solution for label and packaging security that allows 2D printers and presses generate holographic 3D effects. Using proprietary algorithms and Terascale computing, the Lumii Light Field Engine calculates the exact patterns for a duplex print from a single image to create a visual 3D object from a 2D pattern.

Techtextil 2018: New Technologies—and Challenges—for Textile Printing

Published May 23, 2018

Brian Francois, Executive Vice President of AATCC, discusses the analog-to-digital transformation in textile printing, and identifies such emerging challenges as wearable technology and developing and implementing color standards for LED lighting.

From Concept to Creation—Dover Digital Printing’s Microfactory Streamlines Digital Textile Production

Published May 22, 2018

Sebastien Hanssens, Vice President of Marketing and Communication for Dover Digital Printing, talks about the “microfactory” concept of on-demand digital garment printing, which Dover Digital Printing was demonstrating at FESPA 2018. “The Sports Factory” showcased customized athletic jersey printing from online ordering to printing and sewing.

Don’t Confuse DPI and Apparent Resolution

Published May 21, 2018

Simple rule of thumb is that dots-per-inch matters for text while“apparent” resolution is important for continuous tone images – but will not give the same relative improvement to text. Both are important when evaluating inkjet presses and neither can be evaluated without viewing print samples.

EFI's New H Series Set to Launch This Summer

Published May 21, 2018

Ken Hanulec, Vice President of Marketing, Inkjet Solutions for EFI, talks about the company's new H Series at FESPA 2018 in Berlin. This new hybrid printer, targeted at the mid-range market, is capable of printing on both rigid and flexible substrates.

Wade Neff Offers an Inkjet Reality Check

Published May 21, 2018

At the InPrint Industrial Inkjet Conference, Wade Neff, Strategic Business Unity Manager for Strategic Factory, discusses how inkjet printing is not the solution for every application, and that print service providers need to understand, and be able to communicate to customers, both the advantages and limitations of inkjet technology.

HP PageWide Technology Changes the Food Packaging Industry

Published May 18, 2018

This week at FESPA 2018, HP launched two new PageWide presses for ultra-high-volume digital corrugated printing. David Murphy, Worldwide Director of Marketing & Business Development–HP PageWide Industrial Division, describes the Digital Corrugated Experience at FESPA 2018. and how HP's PageWide technology has versatility and adaptability for uses in consumer, electronics, and food and beverage packaging.

Around the Web: Digital ad Revenue - Digitally Colored Embroidery - Media Consumption Habits

Published May 18, 2018

Digital ad revenue, digitally colored embroidery, and curbing your media consumption. All that and more this week in WhatTheyThink's weekly miscellany.

Massivit Launches New Entry-Level 3DPrinter

Published May 17, 2018

Kevin M. Sykes, North American President of Massivit 3D, talks about the new Massivit 1500 "Exploration" 3D printer, which allows users to pursue 3D printing at a lower price point than the company's flagship product. Sykes also discusses the opportunities to be had in 3D printing.

UV LED Looks to the Future

Published May 15, 2018

Pamela Lee, Senior Product Manager for Excelitas Technologies, discusses UV LED technology vs. traditional UV curing in terms of performance, cost, and environmental benefits in a variety of commercial and industrial applications.

Be a Software Shopper

Published May 14, 2018

Niche Book Markets - Xerox Perspective - Video

Published May 14, 2018

Digital Printing Hits a Wall. And the Floor. And Your Sofa.

Published May 14, 2018

Rachel Nunziata, Product Development Manager for 4Walls, talks about the design process for digital décor. 4Walls designs and prints wallcoverings and a wide variety of other materials, handling the process all the way from design through production.

Around the Web - Recommended Reading from the WhatTheyThink Team

Published May 11, 2018

Blockchain, Buffett, and blurring boundaries. Silk and sneakers. One space or two? WhatTheyThink’s new regular Friday feature, Around the Web, presents a miscellany of random news items that caught the attention of our contributors this week. Read on for more.

From Craft Beer to Soda, Printers Need a "Can"-Do Mentality

Published May 9, 2018

At the InPrint Industrial Printing Show in Chicago, Jim Lambert, VP of Digital Sales for INX International, talks about digital direct-to-can printing, a technology that gives beverage makers flexibility in both design and volume, and the ability to adapt to changing consumer trends and tastes.

Make Sure It Fits and Flows

Published May 7, 2018

HP Drying Options and Tradeoffs - Video

Published May 7, 2018

Eric Weisner, General Manager of HP PageWide Industrial Division on the drying options HP offers with their production inkjet line-up and the  speed, coverage and cost trade-offs to consider.

IT Strategies' Mark Hanley Offers Insight on Industrial Printing

Published May 7, 2018

Mark Hanley, President of IT Strategies, Inc., discusses industrial printing and how print providers can navigate the variety of "industrial" markets, from packaging to direct-to-shape, and determine areas of emerging growth.

Inkjet and Interest Rates

Published April 30, 2018

Education Partnerships at Printing Industry Midwest Helps Students Explore Jobs in Print

Published April 30, 2018

Nick Gawreluk talks to Kris Davis of Printing Industry Midwest (PIMW) about its education programs to help students explore job opportunities in print. For the past the 10 years, PIMW has provided financial support to PIMW members to help bring summer interns into printing companies.

Graphic Design, Marketing, and Print Come Together on Dscoop.com

Published April 25, 2018

Vicki Strull, graphic designer and brand consultant, helps brands increase consumer engagement, build brand loyalty, and drive purchase intent. Strull addresses the gap among design, print, and the marketing community by educating these three stakeholders in the understanding of each industry.

Commercial Print and Inkjet - Video

Published April 24, 2018

"Are Commercial Print and Inkjet gonna' be a Thing?" That's the question I asked Marco Boer of I.T. Strategies. Marco says a perfect storm of industry catalysts are likely to move commercial print organizations to consider the move to inkjet. But, it already is a thing.

Bringing the Global Printing Community Together on Dscoop.com

Published April 24, 2018

Julian Marsh is Director of Commercial Printing at District Photo, an online digital print business that produces a large range of photo products. Julian is the Global Chairman of Dscoop, and helped launch the new Dscoop.com platform to facilitate year-round collaboration and networking within the Dscoop community.

Tharstern's Approach to MIS and Business Intelligence

Published April 23, 2018

Matt Miloszewski, Business Development Manager at Tharstern, talks about Tharstern's approach to MIS and managing operational data within print operations. Tharstern has over 700 installations globally.

Key Trends in Inkjet Paper Development & Evaluation

Published April 19, 2018

Advances in inkjet technology and fluids are enabling production on a wider variety of paper grades and finishes. How does this impact the evaluation process for papers? What new variables must be considered when evaluating paper for particular application segments. Mary offered work-arounds for scarcity in the market and tips on finding and evaluating papers.

Inkjet Book Publishing Workflow - Video

Published April 16, 2018

Elizabeth Gooding interviews Martin Aalsma, VP with King Printing, about his experience developing efficient workflows for inkjet printed books.

From Toner to Inkjet - Who's Moving? - Video

Published April 11, 2018

Today we talk with Marco Boer of I.T. Strategies about areas of opportunity for shifting from toner to inkjet, or adding inkjet to a toner portfolio.

Kyocera Previews New High-Speed Inkjet - TASKalfa Pro 15000c

Published April 10, 2018

KYOCERA Document Solutions America, Inc., one of the world’s leading document solutions companies, today previewed the TASKalfa Pro 15000c, in an exclusive exhibit at the 2018 KYOCERA Innovate dealer conference in Orlando, Florida. The TASKalfa Pro 15000c represents Kyocera’s inaugural product entry into the high-speed cut sheet inkjet market. With print speeds at 150 pages per minute in A4 (146 pages per minute Letter), regardless of media type, this full-color production inkjet printing system delivers unparalleled quality and reliability. Ideally suited for Print Service Providers and customers looking to run medium to large volume jobs in-house, the TASKalfa Pro 15000c delivers the necessary functionality at an attractive price point.

Ricoh USA Unveils New, Flexible Inks and the Availability of its RICOH Pro VC40000 Platform

Published April 10, 2018

Building on years of inkjet leadership, Ricoh USA, Inc.today announced enhancements to its continuous feed portfolio that help customers grow their businesses. These include a new set of inks for its RICOH Pro VC60000 platform, which greatly expands the variety of media that can be used, and the availability of its award-winning RICOH Pro VC40000.

Konica Minolta Debuts Continuous Feed Inkjet Solution

Published April 10, 2018

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta,) a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced that it will unveil the latest offerings in its long line of market-leading production printing devices for the commercial print industry – the WEBjet 200D and WEBjet100D continuous feed inkjet presses – at the inkjet Summit 2018 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, April 9-11.

Memjet and Canon Enter into Cross-license Agreement

Published April 4, 2018

Memjet and Canon have entered into a long-term, global agreement to cross-license their patents around key segments and applications. 

Inkjet for Catalogs and Magazines - What Matters?

Published April 4, 2018

Offset printing satisfies the majority of the production requirements for both catalogs and magazines. As marketers seek to increase ROI, you can start to make the case for shorter runs, versioning, hyper-localization, and personalization and then inkjet printing starts to become interesting.

Digipix Invests in HP Indigo To Support Growing Print Business

Published April 4, 2018

Digipix, a photo products company based in Sao-Paulo, Brazil recently installed the HP Indigo 12000 HD Digital Press to support its growing photo products business. Marco Perlman, Digipix founder and CEO, spoke with WhatTheyThink about his business and its recent investment in the HP Indigo 12000 HD Digital Press.

The Past and Future of Dscoop - Video

Published April 3, 2018

Dscoop from Annual Event to Networking Platform

Published April 3, 2018

WhatTheyThink spoke to Keith Wilmot, CEO of DSCOOP at the DSCOOP 18 conference. Under Wilmot's leadership the organization has embarked on transiting DSCOOP from a once per a year conference to a networking platform at dscoop.com

Breaking Bottlenecks: Using the Kodak Workflow Process Assessment to Recognize Opportunity in Your Workflow

Published April 1, 2018

This white paper discusses the importance of workflow assessments as a cycle, rather than a standalone process. Furthermore, it will demonstrate how the Kodak Workflow Process Assessment (WPA) achieves this and therefore serves as a differentiator for printing companies.

Paper Economics

Published March 30, 2018

USPS Challenge: “Hidden Message” Special Effects Screen Printing with Flash-Activated Photochromatic Ink

Published March 22, 2018

In the hunt for new print techniques and technologies for mail, Trish leads us to H&H Graphics in Chicago for a photochromatic ink technology that is designed to work in conjunction with the camera on your smartphone

Measure Wastage

Published March 15, 2018

The amount of paper wasted during start up can be a big differentiator for continuous devices – particularly those with a wide web. Companies that make frequent paper changes leaving partial rolls need to look carefully at paper handling options, splice detection and the ability to print full quality during ramp-up. Sheet fed devices have come on the market that may be sound alternatives when frequent paper changes are required subject to volume constraints.

Maintenance Matters

Published March 15, 2018

The structure of your maintenance plan is crucial to the success of your inkjet investment. Pay particular attention to how print heads are covered in terms of jet-outs or other quality issues that would require print heads to be serviced or replaced. If your quality requirements are high, you need to make sure that you are covered for the level of quality you need to deliver. How many jet-outs can you live with? Look at the break-down of self-maintenance versus OEM maintenance and the expected level of downtime.