Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

drupa 2021 Essentials of Print—Convergence of Print Markets: Is It Inevitable?

Published January 26, 2021

Digital printing has transformed the print world. For a long time, it was restricted to printed documents and photocopying, then inkjet went after the label market first, followed by the narrow-width packaging market or "small" format. At the same time, in the world of large and very large format, inkjet pushed the screen printing and even the offset process out of the most common jobs. This article looks at the potential for diversifying into a wide variety of print applications.

A Sign of the Times: Three Ways COVID-19 Made the Signs and Graphics Industry more Essential than Ever

Published November 12, 2020

The signs and graphics industry has become essential to the recovery of small business communities worldwide, and its value has only grown as the pandemic has gone on. Guest contributor Mike Cline, Vice President of Franchise Development at Alliance Franchise Brands, looks at three ways meaningful graphic displays have shown to be a crucial tool for businesses in both the fight against, and recovery from, the coronavirus.

Talent Acquisition Strategy for the New Normal

Published November 11, 2020

The pandemic has changed both the way companies seek to attract new talent and the interview/on-boarding process. In this article, Arnold Kahn & Dino Scalia of PrintLink offer five steps for hiring and keeping great employees during and after the pandemic

drupa 2021 Essentials of Print: Digital Print for Corrugated—The Future Condition of Things

Published November 10, 2020

Despite the technology’s relative infancy, the choice of digital printers is already so widespread that you have to understand every detail of what you are buying before making a decision. Getting it wrong is likely to be very costly! In this article, corrugated industry veteran Nick Kirby looks all the variables involved in selecting a digital corrugated press.

Direct-to-Garment Printing Industry Boosted by Massive Growth in Online Sales

Published November 5, 2020

One thing the pandemic has boosted is online shopping. And one application that is experiencing terrific growth is direct-to-garment printing, allowing consumers to personalize their T-shirts and other items. Guest contributor Peter Wright, Managing Director of Amaya Ltd., shares more information.

Digital Textile Printing and Sustainability: Reducing the Ecological Footprint of Printing

Published October 15, 2020

In order to reduce the ecological footprint of textile printing, a lifecycle assessment of the entire printing process is essential. In this SPGPrints guest article first published on Texintel.com, Jos Notermans talks about how digital technologies can improve the sustainability position of the textiles industry and reduce the environmental footprint of textile printing.

Pivot Points: Change Management Is an Important Factor in Today’s HR Practice

Published October 7, 2020

In normal times, businesses use change management techniques to help employees adjust to changes driven by things like process automation. But these “abnormal” times are driving unprecedented change throughout our lives and our businesses, and it is more important now than ever before to help our employees come to terms with the changes that are required of them in order to smoothly move our businesses forward. PrintLink’s Arnold Kahn and Dino Scalia explain how.

What Streetwear Brands’ Response to COVID-19 Says About Apparel’s Future

Published October 5, 2020

Thanks to James Andres from S&S Activewear for contributing this week’s textiles article. Streetwear is a style of casual clothing which became global in the 1990s. The COVID-19 pandemic and increased work from home models have also increased demand for more casual clothing. Andres talks about how streetwear has contributed to art, creativity and philanthropy and profiles the response of four streetwear brands.

Marketing for Today and Tomorrow: Signarama Helps Customers Navigate Their Changing Needs

Published September 22, 2020

Signarama’s Kristin Gallucci looks at the evolution of signage over the course of the pandemic, and how Signarama franchise owners have had to re-imagine their production, re-envision their offerings, and re-invent their marketing to create new and unique products to answer the needs of communities.

SpeedPro East Bay Declared Winner of the Coveted 2019 Project of the Year Award

Published July 28, 2020

The winner of SpeedPro’s 2019 Project of the Year Award, Alameda, Calif.’s SpeedPro East Bay, turned an emergency hospital corridor into a pathway showcasing the rich history of Oakland’s Highland Hospital.

Fence-Free Collaborative Robots 4.0: Cobots and Robots Change the Printing Industry

Published July 13, 2020

The advent of small robots that bypass established robot security requirements (fences, scanners etc.) spawned “fence-free robots,” also known as “cobots” for their ability to collaborate with human operators. Graphic Robotics' Henrik Christensen looks at the current state of fence-free robots and their potential place in printing operations.

The Amazing Balance That Was Creo Culture

Published July 6, 2020

A company’s culture determines how employees feel about working there, the velocity at which decisions can be made, and the quality of those decisions. It’s the difference between a place people work at and a company they work for. Contributor David Kauffman reminisces about his days at Creo and the decision-making culture prevalent there.

APTech Adapts to Uncertain Times

Published June 16, 2020

Thayer Long discusses how APTech has used its lockdown period developing new programs and content to help OEMs and PSPs get closer to their customers.

The Sign Connection: Tips for Sign and Graphics Companies During COVID-19

Published June 15, 2020

Image360’s Burke Cueny discusses some of the ways that Image360 centers have helped their sign and display graphics customers during the pandemic, and offers tips and strategies as we move forward.

CottonBee Customized Textiles Fly Across Europe—A New Business with Mimaki Technology

Published May 14, 2020

Digital printing technologies have enabled a wide range of entrepreneurs to get into the industry, something that was more difficult before. An example is Cotton Bee Fabrics in Poland, which has leveraged Mimaki printing technology to transform a side hustle into a viable business.

7th drupa Global Trends Report 2020 Executive Summary

Published May 11, 2020

The top-level results from the 7th drupa Global Trends Report 2020 look at how print businesses fared globally in 201219, what their outlook for 2020 is (pre-COVID-19), and what market, technology, and socioeconomic trends are impacting them.

When Do We Reopen the Country?

Published April 29, 2020

CPrint International chairman and Printing News contributing columnist Tom Crouser weighs the tricky decision of when we should safely reopen the economy, highlighting a three-phase approach.

Disrupted: An Inside Look at the Current Direct Mail and Digital Landscape

Published April 28, 2020

The novel coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the economy both on a national and global scale. As businesses prepare to reopen, they should be developing an “Open for Business” recovery marketing campaign. To assist marketers in making the best decisions for their business, DirectMail2.0 has aggregated and analyzed data from its direct mail marketing platform over the past 11 weeks to depict the current integrated marketing landscape.

Association Insights: Print & Graphic Scholarship Foundation

Published April 27, 2020

The Print & Graphic Scholarship Foundation offers scholarship opportunities for students in graphic arts. Director of Development Jeff White shares some of PGSF’s recent initiatives.

RIP Technology—Colorimetry and Color Management in Digital Textile Printing

Published March 2, 2020

With the growing share of digital print for textiles, software and workflow can often be more critical than the printing engine itself. In this article, we provide information about software RIPs and their role in the digital fabric printing process.

New Ryerson University Study Evaluates Expanded Color Gamut Printing

Published September 12, 2019

Ryerson University has just published a detailed study of expanded gamut printing, based on a series of extensive tests using commercial color management systems to process and print test forms containing PANTONE spot colors. The author of the study, Dr. Abhay Sharma, presents some of the top-level findings and conclusions.

See the Industry Under One Roof

Published June 7, 2019

As it brings the printing industry together, PRINTING United will reveal adjacent opportunities.

Workflow Automation: Investment Delivers Top Value

Published June 5, 2014

Two-thirds of print service providers consider workflow automation a top investment priority simply because it enables them to better service customers and increases customer satisfaction. Today, customers typically want more speed and less cost, whether it’s 100 business cards or a half-dozen editions of 1,000 books each in different page dimensions—by tomorrow—from facilities on three continents.

The ICG Remembers Folding Carton Industry Veteran Alan Crane

Published May 30, 2014

The folding carton industry has lost a legend. Alan Crane (1924-2014) was a visionary, mentor and cherished friend to many, including members and suppliers of the Independent Carton Group (ICG), who remember him fondly.

Paper or Electronic? Sprint Recognizes the Value of Paper in Today’s Business World

Published May 29, 2014

Interview of Sprint’s Alan Anglyn, Director – IT Care & Billing Services Business Management by Phil Riebel, President - Two Sides North America

Social Media for PSPs: Get Linked Up and LinkedIn for Business Development

Published December 20, 2013

The explosive proliferation of social media is the hottest topic in marketing today. For print service providers (PSPs), it brings both intrigue and confusion: “Should our business be on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or Instagram? My kids are on Pinterest, Vine, Tumblr and Foursqure, so should my business be there, too? What am I supposed to do with Google+?”

New Printing Opportunities for Flexible Packaging Converters

Published December 19, 2013

Over the last decade digital printing has moved from a niche market to a high growth segment embraced by a large number of print service providers (PSPs) that acknowledge the added value and higher profits of digital. One of the results of the proliferation of digital technologies is a convergence of once separate activities.

Is a box just a box? How packaging is impacted by the digital revolution.

Published December 18, 2013

Those who have been around the packaging industry can tell you that no one can predict its future. From experiments gone awry – like Jacques E. Brandenberger’s failed attempts at transparent tablecloths that ultimately resulted in the invention of cellophane in 1908.

With Planning and Preparation, Commercial Printers Have a Growth Opportunity in Special Effects for Packaging and Labels

Published December 13, 2013

Commercial printers are increasingly examining the label and packaging market—and they like what they see. As digital technology lowers both the cost of entry and the learning curve for excellent execution, particularly in the area of special effects, the business benefits can be substantial.

The Role of Print in an Omni-channel World

Published October 14, 2013

Patrick Martell, CEO of St Ives Group and the new President of Ipex 2014, looks at print and the important role it will continue to play in the world of marketing in an omni-channel environment

VP of Marketing Steve Bonoff discusses IDEAlliance’s Upcoming TechWeek Conference

Published February 23, 2012

IDEAlliance® recently announced that attendee registration is strong for TechWeek, its week-long event series featuring the G7 Forum 2012, TechConference 2012 and XTech 2012 Seminars. Slated for March 12-16, 2012 in Rosemont, IL, the conference offers a mix of educational sessions, hands-on computer labs, and networking opportunities for media production professionals.

Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Printing Industry

Published May 20, 2010

IPEX is many things – a celebration of print, a Euro-centric gathering of major and minor vendors, a walkable show that makes it easy to enjoy the variety of offerings that compose our industry – but it’s certainly no drupa.

Adobe CS5 Makes Its Debut

Published April 21, 2010

Proficiency in the dark art of prepress once required expertise in a bewildering array of applications; there was QuarkXPress and Pagemaker and Photoshop, but also Freehand, Streamline, Suitcase, Trapwise, INposition Lite and a host of others. Now that prepress has become premedia, the twenty-first century skill set centers on color management, PDF workflows and automation. For most shops, these tasks are made easier by the integration and powerful tools found within Adobe’s Creative Suite software bundle.