Interviews with Industry Executives, Commentary & Analysis from WhatTheyThink Contributors and other video features.
Frank talks type in this video and accompanying article, as he calculates that we have reached the one millionth font in the 36 years since the advent of the digital type age. Beginning with PostScript in 1985, graphic designers have had access to a steady stream of fonts of all kinds from designers around the world. Watch Video
At last week’s thINK Forum, David Zwang spoke to Chris Kropac, owner and president of PCI Group, a family-owned business specializing in mission-critical transactional communications, with an emphasis on security compliance in health care, collections, financial, and insurance markets. Watch Video
Following the sale of his printing and publishing businesses last year, Allan Creel has decided to jump back in and found a terrific business opportunity in the acquisition of Fenske Media in Rapid City, S.D. The deal closed last week, and Allan is now President & CEO, with the four Fenske brothers staying involved as Vice Presidents. In this video interview, Allan provides the full story. Watch Video
In the latest installment of the Print Geeks Interview Series, Resident Print Geeks Jim Raffel and Shelby Sapusek talk to Dan Gillespie of Alder Color Solutions about the importance of education in the graphic arts, and a growing dearth of experienced graphic arts employees. Watch Video
Frank talks Ken Hanulec, VP of WW Marketing for EFI, at their recent “Ignite” press event. EFI inkjet printers print on plastics, ceramics, corrugated board, fabric, and other materials. These print systems—some of which are the size of a small house—allow commercial printers to enter new markets. Watch Video
The industry is ready to get back to in-person events, and Americas Print Show will be a great opportunity. Scheduled for August 17–19, 2022, in Columbus Ohio, it promises to be an event chock full of opportunities to see the latest technology, hear from great speakers, provide education to staff, and network with your peers. Easy driving distance from a large part of the U.S. is also a key benefit. Hear Jim Cunningham of GMA and Ed Chalifoux of PIAS describe the key elements of this event. Visit www.AmericasPrintShow22.com for more details! Watch Video
David Zwang talks to Canon Solutions America EVP Francis McMahon, recapping last week’s thINK Forum, and talking about company culture, how it plays into a company’s brand, how it gives a company a competitive advantage, and how businesses can retain their employees by making them feel like they are part of something and feel empowered. Watch Video
Kelley Holmes talks to Canon USA’s Bob Barbera about Canon’s PRISMA workflow solutions, the new cloud-based PRISMAprepare Go for remote job submission, and PRISMA Home, a standard platform for users to manage all their PRISMA solutions. Watch Video
This week, Warren talks to Jay Mandarino, founder of CJ Graphics in Toronto, a one-stop shop solution that offers everything from print to print management, direct mail, fulfillment and distribution, packaging, specialized printing, and more. Consisting of 37 companies under one roof, CJ Graphics is the most-awarded printing company in the world with 6,500 awards. Watch Video
FESPA is back to in-person in Amsterdam and according to textiles expert, FESPA evangelist, and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan, the show has been packed! Debbie takes us on a tour through Printeriors, where fabulous digitally printed and sustainable interior designs are on display. She notes that in the two years since the last in-person FESPA, she has seen a growing interest in sustainable fabrics and printing technologies, with many attendees wanting to know where and how to access and/or produce the types of materials on display at the show. Watch Video
Andy Fetherman, Vice President of Sales and Technology at Muller Martini, shares his thoughts about the importance of automation, not only in the bindery, but as an integrated workflow across the entire process. He notes some of the advances the company is making and what we should be looking forward to in the future. He also reports seeing a shift beginning from a preference for near-line finishing to the more efficient and less labor intensive in-line model. Watch Video
At last week’s thINK Forum, David Zwang spoke with Greg Groleau, VP Operations for Venture Solutions, a critical communications subsidiary of Taylor Corporation. Events like the thINK Forum allow Venture Solutions to connect with its vendor partners to evaluate present and future technologies and how they might align with their business. Watch Video
At last week’s thINK Forum, David Zwang talked to Shelley Hyde, Partner at PrintMailPro and the newest member of the thINK Board, about the value of networking events like the thINK Forum, as well as the other resources thINK makes available for producers of inkjet printing. Watch Video
Franchise Services’ David C. Rice talks to Kelley Holmes at the Sir Speedy, PIP and Signal Graphics International Vendor Show about Franchise Services’ conversion program for independent printers to become part of a franchise. Watch Video
Frank talks about student preferences for printed textbooks and then segues into a mini history of textbooks for teaching printing. As the printing industry grew in size and technology adoption, its textbooks became bigger…and more expensive. Watch Video
Grossman Marketing Group was founded more than a century ago as an envelope printer. In recent years, the company has focused on providing marketing materials to its customers, including collateral, event signage and promotional products. To continue expansion of its portfolio and customer base, the company has made eight acquisitions in the last several years. Co-President Ben Grossman tells the story. Watch Video
At this week’s thINK Forum, David Zwang talks to Jennifer McSweeney, VP of Sales for the Goodway Group, about the company’s adoption of production inkjet and the opportunities it has opened with clients. Watch Video
In this video sponsored by HP Indigo, Eran Schwimmer, R&D Department Manager for HP Indigo, explains how, with 12 color stations on the HP Indigo V12, the range of inks available on-press beyond CMYK is truly extensive—including spot colors, white, silver, fluorescents, and more. Watch Video
David Zwang talks to Ed Jansen, VP of Canon Solutions America’s Print Production Solutions Group, about the challenges involved in planning this year’s thINK event. Watch Video
David Zwang talks with Gershon Alon, Head of Solutions at HP Indigo, about the post-pandemic workflow changes in packaging and commercial print that will be needed to keep up with dynamic market shifts. Watch Video
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