Interviews with Industry Executives, Commentary & Analysis from WhatTheyThink Contributors and other video features.
Adam Sidrane from K. Sidrane talks about digital labels and packaging. The company was founded by his grandfather in 1948 as a medical device packaging converter, transitioned to a flexo label shop, and most recently a digital label shop. The company specializes in digitally printed labels, folding cartons, shrink sleeves, and flexible packaging. Its three HP presses have helped it serve the gamut of the digital label market. Watch Video
This week, Warren talks to Gee Ranasinha, CEO of KEXINO, a marketing company. Printers are notoriously bad at marketing their businesses, and Ranasinha offers some suggestions for how printers can better market themselves. Watch Video
Blooming Color’s Rosemarie Breske Garvey and MagnetStreet’s Brenda Baird share some highlights of a “women in print” panel discussion at last month’s Dscoop on International Women’s Day. One key takeaway from the panel was to focus on mentorship to empower young women in the printing industry. Watch Video
David Zwang talks to Eli Mahal, Head of Marketing, Labels & Packaging, for HP Indigo. HP Indigo and its customers have not been idle during the pandemic—growth has been significant for Indigo and for their customers in all segments. Watch Video
Jeff Sider, Senior Development Manager for Cober Solutions 106-year old technology company that does a little bit of everything—from sheetfed print to digital printing and wide-format. The company currently has five HP Indigo presses, with two more being installed. Watch Video
Frank talks about kerning and how it evolved as we moved from wood type up through phototypesetting. A piece of rectangular wood type would be cut to allow tighter spacing with its adjacent character. Fast forward to the 1960s and the advent of the Visual Graphics Corp. PhotoTypositor which introduced the concept of tight spacing to typography. Watch Video
Carmen Ruiz, a FASTSIGNS franchisee from Holly Hill, Fla., talks to Kelley Holmes about giving a panel discussion at the annual FASTSIGNS convention about inclusion and diversity. They also talk about an interesting project her business worked on that brought diversity and inclusion to life in her community. Watch Video
Cary Sherburne talks to Caitlin Sullivan, President, FurbushRoberts. FurbushRoberts was founded by Caitlin's great-grandfather. She's been working in the business full-time since 1999 and part-time before that while she was in school at RIT. As the first female leader of the company, she took over running the company a few years ago and shares some of her experiences and thoughts about where she wants to take the company. She encourages others to consider a career in the graphic arts industry, taking advantage of association memberships, networking with colleagues and mentorships to smooth the way. Watch Video
"If you’re running a business and you don’t know your cost of goods sold, you’re not using data properly." WhatTheyThink contributor Pat McGrew discusses the emphasis on data collection and analysis at the recent Dscoop, and how, when used properly, data can help businesses grow. Watch Video
American Banknote Corporation' Guy Broadhurst talks about attending his first Dscoop. Predominantly a plastic card printer, AB Corp. has expanded into 3D printing and the novel—for them—application of printing on paper. Watch Video
This week, Warren talks to Wendy Romig, President of The Braceland Group, which manages Graphic Arts Alliance, a buying group for independent printing companies that helps smaller print businesses be more competitive against the larger print groups. Watch Video
Resident Print Geeks Jim and Shelby spent some time talking with Bruce Myers of RIT and Bill Pope of PRINTING United Alliance about changes to the printing and packaging programs at RIT. We also found out how Bruce geeks out—and it’s all about color! Watch Video
Dan Stutzman, a FASTSIGNS franchisee from Erie, Pa., talks about the history of his company and how he converted to a FASTSIGNS business. Dan also talks about the support his business gets from the corporate side of the franchise business. Watch Video
Kurt Michalak, Fortis Solutions Group’s Director of Manufacturing for the Central Region, talks about how the company has grown from five plants to 15 in five years. The company specializes in everything from pressure-sensitive labels to flexible packaging, with a press mix that is 70% flexo, 25% digital, and just under 5% offset. They have also acquired a fleet of HP Indigo presses, expanding from four to 25 in those five years. Watch Video
David Zwang talks to Andrew Mansfield, New Business Development for Harkwell Labels. The UK-based Harkwell has developed a great application that promotes a circular economy—and it can put a smile on your face. Watch Video
Frank notes that WhatTheyThink now offers audio versions of its many articles. He harkens back to his early years and radio and how it competed with print advertising. It was television in the early 50s that took advertising away from print and the Internet that took even more. Watch Video
The Sales Vault's Bill Farquharson spoke at the recent NPSOA Owners Conference on the topic of "Why aren't you selling more?", how COVID affected his business, and how to reinvent yourself after a pandemic. Watch Video
Albert Patterson, Owner of Mr. Print, talks to Kelley Holmes about his first time attending the NPSOA's Owners Conference. An Army veteran, Albert acquired his business in 2020, focusing on the equestrian vertical. He has found a network of like-minded owners in the NPSOA and it's been invaluable to his business. Watch Video
Bill Schmidt, President of Small Business Insurance Solutions and a recent speaker at the NPSOA Owners Conference, sits down with Kelley Holmes to discuss self-funded insurance solutions for small business. Bill has been able to save small businesses a lot of money by introducing them to the opportunity to self-fund employee insurance programs. Watch Video
This week, Warren talks to Nelson Anderson, Full Sail Media and Minuteman Press. Anderson took over Minuteman Press in Glen Burnie, Md., 18 years ago and grew it into the largest center in the Minuteman franchise network. Three years ago, they launched a digital marketing company called Full Sail Media. Watch Video
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