"The return on making the right investment has never been greater than it is right now. But the loss from making a big mistake has never been greater either."

That was how Steve Johnson, president and chief executive officer, National Association of Quick Printers, kicked off the Quick and Franchise Thought Leadership Workshop on April 29-30 at the Xerox Gil Hatch Center for Customer Innovation in Rochester, N.Y. Forty quick and franchise printers from around North America attended the workshop, which featured a dozen interactive sessions led by industry experts, print providers and Xerox executives.

Johnson urged attendees to keep investing in their businesses during the economic slowdown, despite the high risk and their scarce resources. "One thing recessions do is redistribute market share," he said. "While others are pulling back and licking their wounds, you need to do what you can within your resources to get your business in shape."

Subsequent sessions offered strategies for doing just that. A panel of print providers shared their experiences with high-growth applications such as personalized variable-information printing and photo specialty products, including books, calendars and greeting cards. Other presentations covered growth opportunities in wide-format printing, workflow solutions that can automate production to reduce costs and business development resources that can help drive profit and growth.

Attendee Wayne Perrilloux, owner of Printing Source, Inc., Baton Rouge, La., acquired a Xerox DocuColor 242 Digital Color Printer/Copier earlier this year to bring its digital color printing in house. "I came here looking for ways to put that machine to use," Perrilloux said. "The talk about yearbooks hit me over the head. I'm also a teacher, and I know that many students don't buy yearbooks because they cost too much."

Once Perrilloux settles on solutions for creation software and binding equipment - a process he began at the workshop - he plans to offer lower cost yearbooks and memory books to compete with the area's offset producers. "I think they can be a good moneymaker for us," he said.

About Xerox and Quick Printing
Xerox has been a major supplier to the quick and franchise printing industry for 50 years. The company's current program is led by Derrick Doi, vice president, Xerox Worldwide Quick and Franchise Print Segment Marketing, who hosted the recent workshop.

About Xerox Thought Leadership Workshops
Xerox hosts more than 40 Thought Leadership Workshops annually at the 100,000-square-foot Gil Hatch Center, the world's largest showcase of digital printing technology, located on the Xerox manufacturing, research and engineering campus in Rochester, N.Y.