Westmont, Illinois — MAN Roland is connecting printers who use its presses with local print buyers and specifiers. The vehicle is a “Printing for Creatives” seminar series that is being presented at Roland-equipped facilities throughout the US and Canada. So far this autumn, the half-day events have been conducted at Rapid Impressions in Broadview, Illinois; Dollco Printing in Ottawa, Ontario; AJ Images in Roselle, New Jersey; and Metropolitan Fine Printers in Vancouver, British Columbia. As many 180 attendees participated in each event. The seminars open with a continental breakfast and include training sessions by MAN Roland technical experts, a representative from the host printer, and a creative authority from NAK Marketing and Communications, MAN Roland’s North American marketing agency. According to the printers who hosted the seminars, they were well worthwhile both as educational exercises and customer relationship builders. “We had a great seminar,” noted George Kallas, President of Metropolitan Fine Printers. “Everyone who attended had positive comments, and even though our event ran for four-and-a-half hours, everyone was glued to their seat; nobody left.” A similar sentiment was registered at AJ Images. Arnold Greebel, the company’s president, rated his seminar as “excellent,” noting “you always benefit when you can tie an educational event to a plant tour.” In Vancouver, Metropolitan Fine Printers raffled off an Apple I-Pod to its audience of 180 creatives. To enter, attendees had to complete a brief questionnaire that measured their reactions to the seminar. “We got some very positive comments,” Kallas says of the results. “Generally, they told us it was really worthwhile and very interesting.” At AJ Images, Sales Representatives Sandra Schler and Brian Yeats helped run the event. “I spoke afterwards to those who attended,” Schler says. “Most of them said they have never been exposed to what happens to their files after they hand them off to the printer. The seminar showed that we’re here to help them; we’re not just a black hole that they throw their disk into.” “When you host an event like this,” adds Yeats, “your clients get to look at you as their high-tech supplier, rather than just another printer. Also, the seminar gave us the opportunity to advance our customers’ training. That will make their jobs go smoother. I believe we’re going to be doing more of these events.” Kallas expanded his seminar with appearances by representatives from Xerox and Creo. Their topics ranged from digital printing to one-to-one marketing to the latest in security printing. “By associating yourself with the technology leaders like MAN Roland, you demonstrate how your company is on the leading edge. It’s a highly credible way of letting your customers know that you’re ahead of the curve.” Like AJ Images, Metropolitan Fine Printers intends to conduct more seminars in the near future. “If it wasn’t for this MAN Roland event, we’d have never thought about doing that,” Kallas notes. Dollco Printing, one of Canada’s largest privately-owned commercial facilities is also looking forward to hosting another seminar. Says Co-President Krista Nicholds: “On the whole, the Printing for Creatives Seminar we conducted with MAN Roland was positive. I’m just thrilled that MAN Roland is spreading the gospel of print to media decision makers. It’s essential that anyone whose revenue is tied to printing start selling the virtues of print over other media.” Nicholds reports that her customers were impressed with the event and the expertise of the speakers. “We also welcome the opportunity to bring customers into our facility in an educational event,” she notes. “There’s never enough training or professional development available in our industry.” The ongoing MAN Roland seminar series was developed in response to a survey by the creative journal Graphic Design: USA that was sponsored by MAN Roland. It found that over 87 percent of creative directors, designers and other agency decision makers feel that they need to be more knowledgeable about the printing process. Responding to a separate question, 91 percent said they would be willing to attend a free seminar to acquire more graphic arts expertise. The seminar’s content is built around the topics seminar respondents requested. “Clearly, a lack of communication exists between printers and creatives,” notes Yves Rogivue, CEO of MAN Roland Inc. “Our study shows that the gap today seems to be wider than ever. That is alarming because advancements like the digital workflow and Computer Integrated Manufacturing require closer cooperation between the creators of printed products and the experts who reproduce them.” As a result, designers, art directors and other creatives are not using print to its maximum potential. “That means they’re not taking advantage of all the new possibilities print offers to them and their clients,” says Christian Cerfontaine, Director of Marketing at MAN Roland Inc. “Our seminars address some of the more common challenges designers and art directors face when going to print. And they do so right in the pressroom of their local printer so they can see the actual outcome of what is being presented.” Topics covered include: Preparing files for press What to look for on a press check Ink and coating options The benefits of Computer to Plate (CTP) Preflighting How to spot the perfect dot Controlling color more precisely Extending the range of stocks and substrates Selecting the right press for the job How different substrates affect your design Proofing in the digital age Prepress. Press. Postpress. How does it all connect? Each seminar concludes with press run that demonstrates as many of the techniques and advanced printing practices discussed. That’s designed to give the creatives a hands-on perspective on what state-of-the art presses can produce. Creatives who wish to sign-up for the complimentary learning experience, should visit manroland.com and click on the “Printing for Creatives” button. After registering, they will be notified by email regarding the dates and locations of seminars in their area as soon as they become available.