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Unfortunately, the recession has taken down another company. Premier Graphics is being sold under a “uniform commercial code sale” by GE Capital, which is foreclosing on the business and liquidating the assets. Read More
Congratulations to Coating Excellence International (CEI), Wrightstown WI, is the latest certified SGP Printer. CEI is a leading domestic converter of flexible packaging products. Read More
Packaging is the material surrounding a consumer item that serves to contain, identify, describe, protect, display, promote, and otherwise make the product marketable and keep it clean. Packaging is also a key opportunity for the digital printing market. This article highlights the opportunities that digital printing technology can bring to this market. Read More
UV technology is evolving almost faster than we can keep up. This year’s event had both technical sessions and business sessions, and it was clear that getting up and running with UV doesn’t stop at the plant floor. Training sales and customer service reps to sell the technology is as critical as installing a printer or curing unit.
Find out why "symposium" is the right word for events like this! Read More
Pazazz Printing has filed a Notice of Intention to restructure the company under Canada’s Companies Creditors Arrangement Act. President Warren Werbitt says, “Pazazz file a Notice of Intention to preserve and maximize the value of the business.” Read More
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. Read More
A recent survey by Target Marketing magazine indicates that B2B direct marketing budgets will grow only slowly in 2010. Over half (55%) of B2B marketers responding to the "Media Usage Forecast 2010" survey (conducted in January 2010) said they expect 2010 budgets to be the same as 2009, while 23% of respondents expect 2010 budgets to be higher, and 13% expect further cuts. Nine percent of respondents indicated they weren't sure how 2010 spending would compare with 2009. Read More
This article introduces you to a powerful tool -- highly useful in a brainstorming setting -- that can spark a new level of discovery about how to adapt your business to today’s realities. It is all about considering what you have refused to consider before. Read More
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. Read More
The employment report was better than the cable channel talking heads thought it would be. Printing shipments continued their unfortunate relationship with economic growth. The Postal Service continues a summer sale initiative that only fat cats can like. Read More
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.” Read More
Is FSC/SFI certification a sham? Is there really FSC-certified pulp in the FSC-certified paper you buy? What about recycled pulp? Can you trust anyone? Read More
"We engaged a printer for the production of this piece that is 100% wind powered, carbon neutral, uses a waterless printing process, and is an EPA Green Power Partner and EPA Climate Leader. It was printing on FSC certified paper using vegetable-based inks." Could you say that? Read More
he primary goal of marketing communications is to build awareness of a business, its products, and its position through customer-facing materials such as brochures, press releases, Web sites, and trade show presentations. Marketing communications can transform non-customers into customers or get existing customers to buy more or purchase new products and services. Successful print/marketing service providers have integrated marketing communications that reinforce their messages with target audiences and motivate customers to buy using multiple marketing channels. Read More
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).
MLP USA has announced that the company will not be exhibiting at Graph Expo 2010. MLP USA will instead pursue an alternative program this year for marketing to printers who either attend or don’t attend the show. Read More
The US Postal Service announced several cost cutting initiatives brought on by what they called "unprecedented volume declines" and a projected $238 billion shortfall over the next decade. One item that has people buzzing is a hint at the discontinuation of Saturday delivery. The only question I have is what took them so long? Read More
Five leading magazine publishers have pitched in on a multimillion-dollar ad campaign touting the "power of print." BoSacks Speaks Out: On the Power of Print Campaign. Read More
Make your reservations, buy your plane ticket, pack your golf clubs, and head to Print UV 2010 at the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas. This year’s event takes place beginning Sunday, March 7, and concludes on Tuesday, March 9. Read More
Excellant backgrounder by Gail on the Bowne acquisition. Corporate acquisitions have never been cheaper, And What RRD has really done is put a major competitor out of business. Read More
What will DonnellyBowneBantaMooreWallace look like? The addition of Bowne’s products and services will support and leverage Donnelley’s financial print, statement outsourcing, document business process management, and print management services. Read More
Why do corrugated boxes have to be tossed out after just one use? Dennis Salazar, President, and Lenora Salazar, Vice President, of Salazar Packaging, asked each other that very question.
And they developed a reversible box that turns inside out in seconds. Boxes don't have to be thrown out because they're ugly any more. Read More
Although there has been much discussion in the industry about whether we have too many associations and how much consolidation is needed, IPA and IDEAlliance seem to rarely come up in those discussions. WhatTheyThink spoke with the Executive Directors of both organizations to learn what brought them together and the benefits they believe will come from the new integrated organization. It is a fascinating discussion. David Steinhardt: “We don’t want to be fighting or addressing past issues. We want to be moving forward with a new model and new definition…we have to get out of our bubble to get reengaged where [the market] is moving.” Read More
At the Brand Protection Conference, the hands-on demonstration of wine label counterfeiting draws some sobering conclusions about brand protection, fraud prevention, and digital printing. Read More
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.
Read More
Is plastic - PVC, vinyl, or other types - good for paper? During a recent Webinar, titled Alternative Papers and sponsored by PaperSpecs, the discussion got pretty hot about the use of plastics for making paper.
Speakers Wendy Jedlicka, author of Packaging Sustainability, along with Peter Nowack, founder of PrintLeadership, answered a long list of concerns. With permission from PaperSpecs, we've published the questions, their answers, and a link to the archived Webinar. Read More
Graphics of the Americas keynote speaker looks at the future of interactive displays--it's all very touching. Read More
Buyers are embracing social media, and the tools and possibilities for collaboration continue to improve. As a result, social media is becoming a critical channel for print/marketing service providers to help buyers find one another and market to them. This article provides a brief overview of some recent social media initiatives and offers examples of companies that are getting into the game. Read More
Xerox is suing Yahoo and Google for for alleged infringement of its patents on Internet search and e-commerce. Read More
At PMA 2010, the trade event for “everything photo,” Mohawk Fine Papers announced the acquisition of LabPrints, a developer of workflow software and services for professional photographers and photo labs. WE spoke to Bart Robinson, Mohawk's VP Marketing and Customer Service, and Bill Gamble, LabPrints' CEO. Read More
Most companies do a reasonably good job controlling costs in the outbound freight area. This responsibility usually rests in the shipping department, where shippers take pride in getting the lowest price. However, there are ways to lower your freight costs which may be overlooked. Read More
With today’s leaner staff and budgets, every new hire counts drastically. Badly conducted hires will yield you staff who amount to little more than a cost of doing business. But although the money you spend on payroll could well be your largest cash commitment, a staff of properly hired and maintained employees can increase your profits far beyond their cost. Your staff is therefore an investment—easily the most important investment your business ever makes. Read More
Is the U.S. Economy playing out like 1990s Japan or 1970s U.S. stagflation? Dr. Joe changes his mind... again. All it took was the Producer Price Index and Consumer Price Index releases of last week. Well, so much for his lecturing about the tendency of managers to react to the last thing they hear rather than pondering things. He also suggests buying oil with gold might be a good idea after looking at the last 20 years of data. That should be interesting to try during the New England heating season when the oil truck stops by. And if you thought Keynes was dead, you should see his new rap video with Frederich A. Hayek. If dead economists can make a rap video, can Elvis be far behind? Read More
John Gagel, Manager of Sustainable Practices at Lexmark, and Jim Tocash, President of Close the Loop, talk about their partnership recycling plastic and ink from Lexmark inkjet cartridges. From this partnership came a pen made of recycled plastic and filled with recycled ink. A great example of "cradle to cradle" manufacturing. Read More
I read Frank Romano’s interesting opinion article last Friday concerning both Heidelberg and Komori deciding not to exhibit at Graph Expo this year. Frank puts the reasons for this down to the changing industry and timelines for different technologies. While in most cases Frank and I sing from the same song sheet, in this case I have to disagree with him. Read More
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. Read More
It’s that time of year again, when graphic arts snowbirds flock to the Sunshine State to take in the pastel-hued wonders of South Beach—and learn about the latest developments in graphics and printing. Read More
When Komori and Heidelberg drop out of a Graph Expo show, it portends seismic changes in the printing industry. But it is all part of 500+ years of changes. All things have a lifespan, whether they are living things, inanimate things, or even the universe (the ultimate collection of things). They start out as nothing, become something, and ultimately become nothing again. This pseudo-philosophical statement begins a discussion about technological change, a subject dear to all of our hearts. Read More
I was meeting with my accountant last week, and since I am always curious as to what other professionals and businesses outside the printing industry are doing, the subject of social media came up—LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, et al., and he just sighed and said, “You know, I just don’t want to do any of that.” This same feeling was echoed by an old friend of mine who is the editor of Police magazine—and is echoed by a lot of people in various types of businesses. Read More
Doreen Monteleone, Ph.D., Director of EHS, Membership & Special Projects of the Flexographic Technical Association, has been named the recipient of the 2009 William D. Schaeffer Environmental Award by the PIA. Dr. Monteleone also serves on the Board of Directors for the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership. Read More
For printers who want to make the transition to a marketing services provider, we provide some ideas to help answer the question: How do you gain credibility in the eyes of your customers, that you aren’t just the print services vendor they know…but that you can be a communications problem solver for them? Read More
The custom book market offers tremendous opportunity for a number of different constituencies, including creative content providers, Web publishing solutions, and print service providers. The combination of more affordable high-speed digital devices, Web-based content and tools, and a desire for personalized content is causing the custom book market to grow. This article highlights examples of two companies (Penwizard and RPI) that are capitalizing on this opportunity. Read More
Here at WhatTheyThink Going Green we sift through lists of dozens of trade events every month to filter those that might be of interest for our readers. The Going Green Events page is a "rolling" list to help you plan. We'll keep you busy for months and there will always be more to choose from! Read More
GASC informed WhatTheyThink that Heidelberg will not be at Graph Expo 2010. Komori has also indicated they are passing on the show. The trade show floor is an indicator of where the market is going. Innovation and advancement in offset technology is leveling off, while digital printing is rapidly evolving. Read More
As the 2010 show season begins, the emphasis has shifted increasingly toward digital solutions, including printing equipment as well as workflow. WhatTheyThink spoke with several offset press manufacturers to find out more about their plans for the most significant North American printing show, Graph Expo, scheduled for October 3-6, 2010, at Chicago’s McCormick Place. Read More
The U. S. Postal Service recycled more than 200,000 tons of paper, plastics, and other waste on 2009. That’s a good thing!
But their recycling enthusiasm may have gotten a bit out of hand. They say that they are recycling pixels as well. Read More
In November, FUJIFILM announced a merger of its FUJIFILM U.S.A. and FUJIFILM Graphic Systems organizations to create FUJIFILM North America Corporation. At that time, the company had not made a final determination about who would lead the new organization. Today, Ryutaro Hosoda was named as President & CEO of FUJIFILM North America. Read More
Last week’s Ipex Media summit in London outlined what we can expect at the Ipex show in May. In this we can expect to see many of the products previewed at drupa now becoming available in the market. The article outlines the size and scale of Ipex and why it is such as important show this year. It also gives a few briefs on new products being shown there. Read More
The 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver started off with a bang on Friday evening, February 12. Last Thursday, February 11, George Kallas, President of Metropolitan Fine Printers, fulfilled a dream by carrying the Olympic torch as it traveled to Vancouver. From the beginning, printing and the 2010 Olympics have been closely linked! Read More
My 6-year old HP Deskjet gave up the ghost - with vengeance! At first I worried that once I got my new one, my old one would become third-world toxic waste. HP assures me that when I send it back to them with their UPS call tag, they won't export non-working electronics to developing countries. Read More
In September 2009, Ramesh Ratan left his position as COO at The DMA (Direct Marketing Association) to become President of Pitney Bowes’ Document Messaging Technologies (DMT). In this interview with Senior Editor Cary Sherburne, Ratan talks about his reasons for joining Pitney Bowes, his top strategic initiatives for the organization, the role printers can play in the age of digital media, and much more. Read More
Broadband use by adults has been increasing and the number of households with broadband service has almost doubled since 2005. What's the relationship with commercial printing volume? Last year, there were about 48 billion hours of broadband use by households, and every additional hour of use decreases commercial print volume by about $2. Read More
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. Read More
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. Read More
Possibly the most important reason that print service providers need to have an active Internet marketing strategy is because of the transformation that has occurred in how print buyers seek information. Yes, customers and prospects still talk to sales representatives, look through magazines, and talk to business associates to gather product information, but print service providers need to understand that customers and prospects are turning en masse to the Internet as their primary knowledge source. More than three-quarters (78%) of adult online consumers in the U.S. made some type of purchase via the Web in the previous six months. According to a survey from Nielsen Online, the top transaction categories are travel, credit card management, and online banking. Read More
According to Dane Neller, CEO, On Demand Books, the Espresso Book Machine® is the “most significant step in publishing in the last 500 years…”
A visit toThird Place Books, Seattle WA, let us see the Espresso in action and learn more about the business of printing books - one at a time! Read More
The Managed Print Services concept had its beginning with the management of corporate copier fleet(s). A recent posting by Purchasing.com to suggest that growth in Managed Print Services is being facilitated by the Corporate Purchasing Department is a shallow interpretation. Read More
Penton Media announced today that it will restructure through a pre-packaged Chapter 11 plan of reorganization. The trade publisher has reached an agreement with its lenders that is expected to eliminate $270 million in debt. Read More
Xerox announced that its acquisition of ACS was completed today, transforming Xerox into a $22 billion global enterprise, tripling the size of Xerox’s service business to $10 billion, with annuity revenue representing 80% of total revenue. Read More
Office paper getting out of hand? Get a White Goat! And turn 40 sheets of office paper into a roll of toilet paper in just 30 minutes. See it in action! Read More
Things are not always what they seem, especially when statistics are involved. How else can one explain a GDP report of +5.7% and a decrease in the unemployment rate being matched with long faces and pessimism? The economic side-step is continuing, and a mild upturn is being viewed with suspicion. Every time there's good economic data, it seems to barely survive the headline and first paragraph of its press release without devolving into adjustments, revisions, and clarifications. Our job as managers is not just requiring navigation skills, but seems to need a refresher course in defensive driving. Read More
Nearly one-third of all offset printing establishments have fewer than 20 employees. Forecasts are predicting that we’ll see a loss of even more printing companies over the next decade. Like small businesses of all kinds, printers have always faced challenges. So what has it that has made it possible for some small printers to overcome adversity and keep going? Read More
Over the last few weeks, I've posted a series of articles on the importance of creating and implementing a differentiating strategy for your business. I've been getting some very positive feedback...readers have said they feel this is an important topic for this industry, at this time. Read More
Andy Tribute wrote a great article a few days ago on the current status of inkjet technologies and equipment leaders along with issues that each potential buyer should keep in mind. One facet was not addressed that I would like to add. And this pertains to all equipment acquisitions. Each and every buyer regardless of size should have a third party, i.e., independent, lease expert review the proposed manufacturer’s or financial institution’s contract. Read More
ACCGC. You never heard of it? Accrediting Council for Collegiate Graphic Communications. Doesn’t ring a bell? It is a group of dedicated graphic arts educators and industry suppliers who foster graphic arts education at the college level. Accreditation is how colleges and universities serve professions and industries—by making sure that educational curricula meet the needs of professions and industries. Read More
Now that social media has entered the mainstream, print service providers that build the right marketing strategies have more opportunities than ever. A number of savvy print and marketing service providers are getting into the game and effectively leveraging social media to keep the lines of communication open with their customers. This article discusses how companies like Vistaprint and Tukaiz are using social media to drive business results. Read More
It is not enough that we print on recycled paper; each printed piece should be recyclable in turn.
At drupa 2008, de-inking of digitally printed paper became a hot potato. On Print CEO Andy Tribute clarified the issue by presenting comments from INGEDE...
Read MoreAs 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. Read More
After presenting you with the tools to develop your Differentiating Strategy and Unifying Business Idea, we’ll turn our focus to creating real differentiation in your business. This means, going beyond what you hope to be…and just peppering your marketing and sales materials with “the new strategy.” This means aligning your entire organization; your policies, practices, products, services, hiring, pricing AND your communications to your new Unifying Business Idea. The stories we share show the payoff. Read More
This year is being seen as the real start for sales of high-speed inkjet presses. This article looks at some of the key items that need to be considered by potential buyers of these presses. This includes substrates that can used, the types of ink and the life of the print heads. Read More
Why was Q4-09 GDP +5.7% met with a stock market decline and more handwringing about the economy? Dr. Joe looks at the yearly change in GDP, and explains it all. Read More
I had the opportunity recently to visit one of the largest printing operations in the Dominican Republic, in a visit arranged by Executive Vice President Fernando A. León. I have visited many printing operations in the U.S., and I was interested to see how this compared—it was quite impressive. I thought our readers might enjoy sharing a virtual walk-through. Read More
A contrarian look at the printing industry and the new rules and strategies needed to succeed. Read More
The first step toward achieving quality of hire is effectively sourcing the candidates from which to choose. In this article, we take a look at what options there are for sourcing new hires and some of the pros and cons to each of them. Read More
Small and medium-sized businesses have a wide range of communications needs. This article discusses the tremendous opportunities that small and medium-sized businesses can represent for print service providers with the right go-to-market strategy. Read More
