Warren Werbitt Goes Printer to OEM with Jeff Karnoff of Kompac
Published: January 18, 2023
This week, Warren talks to Jeff Karnoff of Kompac about how a 24-year-old who never knew what printing was before working in it, got into it and grew to love it. Thing is, he is not a printer, but works on the OEM side. Kompac is a seller of UV and aqueous coating equipment. Watch Video
Graphco Can Offer Printers Anything They Need to Grow Their Business
Published: January 17, 2023
Graphco’s Chris Manley and Gary Greis talk about and demonstrate some highlights of Graphco’s growing portfolio of graphic arts vendors, equipment, and consumables including RMGT presses, Horizon and Foliant finishing equipment, and Kodak plates, CTP systems, and digital and inkjet solutions. Watch Video
Kongsberg’s Stuart Fox and Matt Thackray on Wide-Format Cutting Systems
Published: December 15, 2022
Stuart Fox and Matt Thackray of Kongsberg talk about the history of the 57-year-old company and showcase some of the precision cutting tables in its own portfolio, as well as that of the recently-acquired Multicam. Watch Video
The Digital Embellishment Show: Selling Digital Embellishments with Joe DeBoy of NAPCO USA
Published: December 12, 2022
Joe DeBoy, the newly minted VP of Sales at NAPCO USA, talks with Taktiful's Kevin Abergel about selling digital printed output in the rigid packaging market and provides some good tips on how to pitch the value on insourcing packaging back into the USA. Watch Video
Designing For and Operating Digital Embellishment Equipment
Published: December 5, 2022
In the latest episode of The Digital Embellishment Show, Taktiful's Kevin Abergel talks with Dominic Zaidan and Frank Deiuliis of NAPCO USA about embellishment design and equipment operating challenges they have overcome in the digital packaging world. Watch Video
Product Strategy: Standard Finishing’s Paul Steinke on Increased Automation and Decreased Touchpoints
Published: December 2, 2022
Standard Finishing’s Paul Steinke talks about how the top challenges for Standard’s customers are people and paper. To help customers with staffing shortages, Standard’s manufacturers—Hunkeler and Horizon—are increasing levels of automation in their equipment as well as improving ease-of-use for less skilled bindery operators. Watch Video
Product Strategy: VITS International’s Deirdre Ryder on Substrate Diversity
Published: December 2, 2022
Deirdre Ryder of VITS International talks about increased customer needs for improved digital inks, wider format substrates, higher speeds, and a wider variety of substrates, such as papers, foils, and films. VITS is addressing these needs by designing equipment to run wider formats at faster speeds, as well as improve overall efficiency. Watch Video
Product Strategy: W+D’s Brook Spaulding on Dynamic Envelope Conversion
Published: December 2, 2022
W+D’s Brook Spaulding talks about how the ability to custom convert envelopes on the fly is a game changer for direct mailers. Watch Video
Product Strategy: Graphic Whizard’s Max Allen on Digital Die-Cutting
Published: December 2, 2022
Graphic Whizard’s Max Allen talks about Graphic Whizard’s new highly automated digital die-cutting solution designed for longer digital runs. Watch Video
Product Strategy: Printing and Mailing Integration with Capital Mailing Equipment
Published: December 2, 2022
Troy Shatus of Capital Mailing Equipment talks about the latest industry trends, such as the increased demand to be able to print on as many different kinds of papers as possible, as well as integration of new printing equipment with mailing and binding equipment. Capital Mailing Equipment offered solutions that will address these demands and more. Watch Video
Product Strategy: Tecnau’s Scott Peterson on Overcoming Supplies and Labor Shortages
Published: December 2, 2022
Tecnau Product Marketing Manager Scott Peterson talks about how Tecnau’s versatile and easy-to-use finishing equipment helps customers address supplies and labor shortages. Watch Video
Product Strategy: Muller Martini’s Andy Fetherman on the Finishing “Smart Factory”
Published: December 2, 2022
Muller Martini President and CEO Andy Fetherman talks about how Muller Martini’s automated, “smart factory”-based finishing workflow helps overcome the challenge of finding bindery employees. Watch Video
Product Strategy: GEW’s Gary Doman on UV Ink Curing for Sheetfed Offset
Published: December 1, 2022
GEW’s Gary Doman discusses trends in sheetfed offset and how UV curing can address these trends. Watch Video
Product Strategy: Zünd’s Bill Richards on Lights Out Automated Finishing
Published: November 30, 2022
Zünd America’s Bill Richards talks about the challenges of keeping employees, and how the automation features on Zünd’s wide-format cutting equipment can help streamline workflows through data integration, metadata manipulation, and robotics. Watch Video
A Kid's View on Print
Published: November 28, 2022
In the latest installment of our new Marketing Digital Embellishment Capabilities video series, Taktiful's Kevin Abergel talks with Aaron, Taktiful's 7 year old VP and Chief Toy Officer, as he unboxes a print sample kit from swissQprint. Watch Video
Duplo Showcases Its Finishing Solutions for the Packaging Market
Published: November 14, 2022
Rick Salinas, President of Duplo USA, leads a tour of Duplo’s booth at PRINTING United featuring finishing solutions for the B2 packaging market. He is joined by Technical Product Manager Anthony Blanco, talking about the DuSense DDC-8000 B2 Raised Spot UV Coater and DSM-1000 B2 Platen Die Cutter; Product Manager Kevin Chen discussing the DC-746 B2 Slitter/Cutter/Creaser and DFL-700 Foil/Laminator; and Product Manager David Nguyen, showing the DF-K2000 Thick Paper Creaser/Folder. Watch Video
Standard’s Bob Flinn Talks Finishing Equipment
Published: November 8, 2022
Bob Flinn of Standard Finishing Systems talks about the binding and finishing equipment the company was demonstrating at PRINTING United, featuring units from Hunkeler and Horizon—and including a robotic arm feeding a Horizon perfect binder. Watch Video
Talking Marketing #SexyPrint with Darren Kenning of Sugar Print
Published: November 7, 2022
In the latest installment of our new Marketing Digital Embellishment Capabilities video series, Taktiful's Kevin Abergel talks with Darren Kenning, the President of Sugar Print, about how to best market digital embellishment capabilities to clients. Watch Video
Meyers CRO Talks About Marketing Digital Embellishments
Published: October 24, 2022
In the latest installment of our new Marketing Digital Embellishment Capabilities video series, Taktiful's Kevin Abergel talks with Michael Dillon, the new Chief Revenue Office at Meyers, about how he markets digital embellishments to his clientele. Watch Video
Standard Finishing's Mark Hunt Previews PRINTING United Expo 2022
Published: October 10, 2022
Mark Hunt, Director of Strategic Alliances at Standard Finishing, takes time out of busy preparations for PRINTING United to speak with Eric Vessels about their 4,000 square feet of space at the show and all the finishing and automation solutions they will be featuring. This is a great peek into what people will see from Standard at the show! Watch Video
DMS Color's Matthew Greer on Marketing Digital Embellishment Capabilities
Published: October 10, 2022
In the first installment of our new Marketing Digital Embellishment Capabilities video series, Taktiful's Kevin Abergel talks with Matthew Greer, CEO of DMS Color/Gold Leaf Packaging, about how to best market digital embellishments in today's world. Watch Video
FSEA’s Jeff Peterson Introduces the New Digital Embellishment Alliance
Published: October 5, 2022
David Zwang talks to Jeff Peterson, Executive Director of the Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA), about the educational resources the association offers the industry. FSEA has also just announced the establishment of the Digital Embellishment Alliance (DEA), a new association dedicated to the growing digital embellishment segment of the printing industry. Watch Video
Bindtech’s Amazing Binding and Finishing Work
Published: September 27, 2022
Bindtech is a postpress service provider that offers a wide range of binding and finishing services for both hardcover and softcover books. Bindtech’s Chad Dillon shows “Simply Bourbon,” a coffee table book that features an elaborate three-piece cover incorporating debossing, foil stamping, and a real piece of laser-etched wood. Bindtech was showing even more exotic binding examples at last August’s Americas Print Show. Watch Video
Warren Werbitt on Taktiful’s Embellishment Education Initiatives
Published: September 7, 2022
Warren Werbitt talks to Kelley Holmes about Taktiful, a marketing agency focused on embellishments. Taktiful’s goal is to teach designers the technical aspects of working with embellishments as well as guiding printing company owners and operators in running the equipment effectively. Watch Video
Scodix’s Jason Rollo on the State of Digital Embellishments
Published: August 29, 2022
Scodix’s Jason Rollo provides an update on Scodix’s mission to digitize, and become the leader in, print embellishment and decoration for the packaging and print markets. Watch Video
HP and Tecnau Help DG3 Conquer Supply Chain Challenges
Published: August 1, 2022
DG3 is a full-service solutions provider serving primarily the pharmaceutical and financial markets, as well as Fortune 1000 companies across a wide range of industries. A longtime HP customer, DG3 installed a PageWide T230 back in 2013, and were recently able to upgrade it to the latest T250 specs, taking advantage of the latest HP technologies such as Brilliant Ink. The partnership between HP and Tecnau has also helped DG3 weather the recent labor and supply chain challenges. Watch Video
Ultimate’s Andrew Bailes-Collins on Finishing Automation
Published: July 27, 2022
Andrew Bailes-Collins of Ultimate TechnoGraphics talks to Kelley Holmes at the recent Amplify Print event. Ultimate TechnoGraphics’ Impostrip was the first electronic imposition program, and the company has since expanded into integrated software for automating finishing. Watch Video
Canon and Tecnau Help A.B. Data Transition to Production Inkjet
Published: July 25, 2022
In business for 40 years, A.B. Data produces direct mail and transactional statements, specializing in variable-data printing. Formerly relying on black-and-white toner-based digital printing, the company transitioned to production inkjet to improve its efficiency. See how partners Canon and Tecnau helped A.B. Data make its transition. Watch Video
The Evolution of VITS International
Published: July 21, 2022
Deirdre Ryder of VITS International talks to Kelley Holmes at the Amplify Print event. VITS International started as an inline finishing equipment company specializing in sheeters, and the company has evolved to produce a full range of finishing equipment, as well as customized bespoke solutions for customers. Watch Video
FSEA’s Jeff Petersen on the Amplify Print Event
Published: July 20, 2022
Jeff Petersen, executive director of the Foil and Specialty Effects Association (FSEA), talks with Kelley Holmes about FSEA’s partnership with APTech that led to the Amplify Print event highlighting the latest trends and technologies in embellishments and other finishing effects. Watch Video
Sugar Print Helps Brands Design for Embellishments
Published: July 19, 2022
Darren Kenning of Sugar Print talks to Kelley Holmes at the Amplify Print event. Founded three years ago, Sugar Print specializes in adding embellishments to printed materials, working with agencies and brand owners to design materials for embellishments. Watch Video
Rollem Changes with the Times
Published: July 18, 2022
Doug Sherwood, National Sales Manager for Rollem, talks to Kelley Holmes at the Amplify Print event about how the 60+-year-old finishing equipment manufacturer has changed, evolved, and adapted over the years. Watch Video
Trish Witkowski Reports on Amplify Print
Published: July 14, 2022
Foldfactory’s Trish Witkowski talks about her impressions of last month’s Amplify Print event, including educational sessions, highlights from the show floor, conversations with show attendees and exhibitors, and many examples of how to take advantage of all the benefits of print. Watch Video
Warren Werbitt Goes Printer to Printer with Steven Roberts
Published: July 13, 2022
This week, Warren talks to Steven Roberts, President of Elite Print Finishing, about the benefits of digital embellishments and “sexy print.” Watch Video
Ellen Manning on Cold Foiling
Published: July 12, 2022
Eagle Systems' Ellen Manning talks to Kelley Holmes at last month's Amplify event about the company’s inline cold foiling equipment and its capabilities for adding "pizzazz and glitz" to labels and packaging. Watch Video
Graphco’s Chris Manley on the Amplify Event and Commit to Print World Tour
Published: July 11, 2022
Graphco’s Chris Manley talks to Kelley Holmes about the company’s participation in the Amplify event in Minneapolis last month. On the RMGT side of Graphco’s business, customers do a lot of high-value embellishments on their presses using UV LED curing technology, and Graphco’s booth highlighted these applications. Watch Video
Harris & Bruno’s Chris Hogge on the Transition to Digital Finishing
Published: June 30, 2022
Chris Hogge from Harris & Bruno talks to Kelley Homes at last week’s Amplify event about how, as printing has transitioned from offset to digital, finishing equipment—especially the coating equipment Harrison & Bruno manufactures—has had to make the transition as well. Watch Video
Duplo’s Rick Salinas on Cannabis Packaging Embellishment
Published: June 29, 2022
Duplo’s Rick Salinas talks with Kelley Holmes at last week’s Amplify event about Duplo’s offerings for finishing and embellishment. Their solutions have proven especially popular for short-run packaging, particularly for the cannabis industry. Watch Video
Parkland Direct’s Envelope Embellishments
Published: June 28, 2022
Clint Seckman talks to Kelley Holmes at the Amplify Print event about Parkland Direct. The company started 40 years ago as a litho printer, began producing envelopes 15 years ago, and for the last five years has completely focused on envelopes, adding embellishments and other effects to increase open and response rates. Watch Video
Ricoh and Tecnau Help the State of Colorado Transition from Toner to Inkjet
Published: June 23, 2022
The State of Colorado uses Tecnau’s Revolution 50 Series high-speed cutting and stacking system in tandem with Ricoh’s VC60000 to produce a wide variety of transactional documents. The integrated equipment can produce graphic arts-quality documents with high ink coverage using coated papers in a wide variety of basis weights, and has helped the state transition from toner-based systems to production inkjet. Watch Video
Trotec’s Warren Knipple on Laser Finishing
Published: June 16, 2022
Warren Knipple of Trotec Laser talks about the advantages of lasers in print finishing, giving users precise cutting control and, when used for cutting polyester textiles, sealing the edges of the fabric, precluding the need for hemming or welding. Watch Video
Amplify Opens in Minneapolis
Published: June 15, 2022
Kelley Holmes talks to APTech President Thayer Long at the inaugural Amplify event, presented in conjunction with the FSEA, a show dedicated to finishing and embellishment technology. Watch Video
Screen and Tecnau Help Shelter Insurance Transition to Production Inkjet
Published: June 7, 2022
Shelter Insurance in Columbia, Mo., is a property and casualty insurance company that operates in 21 different states. When they wanted to switch from toner to production inkjet for their—to add color and better compete against other insurers—they chose Screen, which has dedicated itself to continuous-feed inkjet. For finishing equipment, Shelter turned to its long-time partner Tecnau. See how Screen and Tecnau helped Shelter make its transition. Watch Video
Zünd America’s Beatrice Drury on Cutting and Finishing
Published: May 18, 2022
Zünd America’s Beatrice Drury talks with Kelley Holmes about Zünd’s participation in the ISA Sign Expo, the markets the company is involved in, and the kinds of cutting and finishing equipment Zünd manufactures. She also shares some examples of the specialized cutting Zünd equipment can produce. Watch Video
Gietz-Vinfoil Americas to Introduce New Options for Embellishment at Amplify
Published: May 16, 2022
The upcoming Amplify event in Minneapolis in June will be a great place to see all of the latest developments in finishing techniques. Embellishing print adds value and increases engagement, a good way to make direct mail, packaging and other applications more effective. In this discussion, Chris Leary talks about the offerings he will be showing at Amplify from Geitz and Vinfoil, two European companies that have heretofore had somewhat limited exposure in the Americas. Watch Video
Rick Salinas on Duplo at the ISA Sign Expo
Published: May 16, 2022
Duplo’s new president Rick Salinas talks to Kelley Holmes talks about Duplo’s first time exhibiting at the International Sign Association (ISA) Sign Expo. He notes that the big growth areas in the industry are signage, POP, and packaging, and Duplo is moving to pursue those areas. Watch Video
Why Amplify? An Exciting New Show Taking Place in Minneapolis in June!
Published: May 2, 2022
Senior Editor Cary Sherburne speaks with Jeff Peterson, Executive Director, Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA), one of the organizers of AmplifyPrint.com; Kevin Abergel, President, Taktiful, an exhibitor; and Haley Quick-Hutchison, Vice President Infinity Foils, Inc., also an exhibitor, about what to expect at Amplify, taking place in Minneapolis in June, and the importance of beginning with the end in mind—consider finishing at the beginning of the job. They also explain some of the advantages of embellished pieces in direct mail, packaging, display graphics, and more. Watch Video
Joris Bosch on Digital Printing and Finishing
Published: April 28, 2022
Joris Bosch from Holland-based Wihabo talks about digital printing and finishing. Wihabo offers commercial and packaging printing. Five years ago, they added an HP Indigo 10000, which was a game changer for the company. They have added digital die-cutting and recently added Highcon and Scodix machines to add even more value to printed materials. Watch Video
Will We See You in Minneapolis in June for Amplify?
Published: April 28, 2022
This unique event is focused on finishing, with a large dash of embellishment. In this video discussion, you'll hear from APTech about the event, and gain the perspective of both an attendee and an exhibitor about why the show is important and what you might gain from attending or exhibiting! Watch Video
Heidelberg US Expands Their Postpress Offerings
Published: March 15, 2022
David Zwang talks to Chris Raney, VP Postpress Product Management, Heidelberg US, about Heidelberg's updated and expanded postpress offerings. These include introducing push-to-stop folding, more automated cutting for commercial print, and die-cutting and folder gluers for folding carton production. Watch Video