Interactive Print in the Real World: What’s Really Working

We’ve been hearing the refrain for some time: print is going interactive. Not just with QR codes—which took 25 years but finally caught on, thanks to the pandemic—but with other technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and near-field communications (NFC). Some of the applications are truly astounding, and while they capture the imagination, are they relevant to the printing industry at large? Or only to the handful of printers whose clients are massive consumer brands?

On August 25 at 1 pm EST, join industry analyst and WhatTheyThink contributor Heidi Tolliver-Walker as she leads a panel discussion on the latest interactive print technologies and how printers are using them to add value to clients’ projects. Joining the panel discussion will be Will Gee of Balti Virtual and Tracey Archiletta of Image8Creations.

What you’ll learn:

• The latest technologies for making print interactive.
• How printers are successfully and effectively using these technologies in the real world.
• What value they can add to clients’ projects.

“Interactive Print in the Real World: What’s Really Working” is the latest installment in WhatTheyThink’s monthly half-hour LunchNLearn webinar series.

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Time August 25, 2021 1:00 PM Eastern Time US
On-demand Playback will be available shortly after the event.

Textiles & Apparel: Resale, Recycling, and Upcycling

If the COVID pandemic has highlighted the need for the textiles and fashion industry to clean up its act, one of the most important post-pandemic trends that is emerging involves the area of resale, recycling, and upcycling of textiles and apparel. How can garments, décor, and other textile-based materials be reused in a way that diverts discarded items from landfills? What are the technologies enabling the extension of textile lifespans?

On July 28 at 1 pm EST, join WhatTheyThink Senior Editor Cary Sherburne and contributor and CEO of Texintel and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan as they explore how the move toward resale, recycling, and upcycling is poised to bring significant change to the industry and will further drive adoption of a wide range of digital technologies as the concept of fast fashion fades.

What you’ll learn:

• The current state of the textile and apparel industry.
• How the COVID-19 crisis transformed the industry, and what the post-COVID landscape looks like.
• How digital textile production can help the industry not only cope but thrive in the wake of these new trends.
• New opportunities in digital textile production.

Textiles & Apparel: Resale, Recycling, and Upcycling” is the latest installment in WhatTheyThink’s monthly half-hour LunchNLearn webinar series.

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Recorded July 28, 2021

The Top 100 Small Commercial Printers in North America

Each year, WhatTheyThink | Printing News invites small commercial print business owners to participate in our Top 100 Shops Survey, and respondents are then ranked according to their 2019 revenues. In 2020, the shops included on our Top 100 list accounted for nearly half a billion dollars in revenue. For the top-ranked businesses, what was the secret to their success in the year of COVID?

On June 23 at 1 pm EST, WhatTheyThink’s latest installment of its monthly LunchNLearn webinar series will look at this year’s Top Shops. In this 30-minute session, sponsored by Xanté, WhatTheyThink Managing Editor Richard Romano will share the results of the annual Top Shops survey, talk about some of the challenges these businesses faced in 2020 (aside from the obvious), and how they are looking to rebound in 2021.

Romano will be joined by Keith Miller, President of Strategic Factory, this year’s #1 small print business, who will talk about the factors that helped them deal with the challenges 2020 wrought, as well as new and continuing initiatives the company is pursuing through 2021 and beyond.

What you’ll learn:

• Who the top small print businesses in North America are.
• The top challenges small print businesses were facing.
• What top small printers see as the biggest business opportunities.
• How this year’s #1 small printer won the top spot.

“The Top Small Printers in North America” is the latest installment in WhatTheyThink’s monthly half-hour LunchNLearn webinar series.

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Recorded June 23, 2021

What Does It Look Like When Color Management Breaks

In this fast paced mid-day webinar, industry leading color management practitioners Dan Gillespie, Jim Raffel, and Shelby Sapusek will take you through some common color management failures and ways to resolve them. Don't come for the slidedeck but instead the lively conversation as it seldom two color management pros agree 100 percent on the correct solution to a color problem.

We plan to cover topics such as: How RGB and CMYK are different than L*a*b*; why not to leave source profiles defaulted to SWOP; how to choose the correct rendering intent; and why skipping a daily nozzle check of your printer can only lead to problems. The team will likely come up with additional topics as time allows.

What you’ll learn:

- How to choose the correct color management setting in Adobe apps and your RIP software.
- Why changing the default color management settings could give you more color gamut
- How important simple machine maintenance checks can be.
- The path to more consistent, predictable, and repeatable color!

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Recorded May 4, 2021

“The State of the Print & Sign Franchises” LunchNLearn Webinar

“The State of the Print & Sign Franchises” LunchNLearn Webinar Allegra. AlphaGraphics. FASTSIGNS. Minuteman. Sir Speedy. Signs By Tomorrow. Signarama. SpeedPro. Every year, Printing News and Wide Format & Signage conduct their annual Print and Sign Franchise Review. How and what the franchises are doing can be a useful barometer for understanding how the industry at large is doing—especially in the age of COVID. Are they growing and expanding their centers? Is revenue increasing? How are they growing? What products and services are they expanding into? What challenges are they facing and how are they confronting them? And, of course, what impact did the COVID pandemic have on their centers?

On April 28 at 1 pm EST, WhatTheyThink’s latest installment of its monthly LunchNLearn webinar series will offer the results of the annual Printing News/Wide Format & Signage Print & Sign Franchise Review. In this 30-minute session, WhatTheyThink Managing Editor Richard Romano and Senior Editor Cary Sherburne will share the results of the annual franchise survey, talk about how the franchises weathered the coronavirus, and discuss what the franchises’ plans are to expand in 2021 and beyond.

Who should attend?

• Commercial printers looking to see how these businesses are addressing challenges in the market
• Sign and display graphics producers looking to know what new products and services are being added and implemented
• Distributors/brokers looking for partnership opportunities

What you’ll learn:

• The current state of the print and sign franchises—number of centers, revenue, top performing centers, etc.
• The new products, services, and other opportunities the franchise are adding or considering
• The top challenges the franchises are facing, and how they are addressing them
• The overall outlook for 2021 and beyond

“The State of the Print & Sign Franchises” is the latest installment of WhatTheyThink’s monthly half-hour LunchNLearn webinar series. Upcoming topics include the industry’s “100 Top Shops” and our special Technology Outlook Week series of daily Webinars. For more information about WhatTheyThink webinars, please visit http://whattheythink.com/webinars/.

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Recorded April 28, 2021

Orchestrating Success: New Trends in Trade Brokering & Distributing

Every motion you make in your business sets the tone for the ultimate performance of the supply chain. Whether you are a manufacturer/service provider shepherding the genesis of the supply chain or a reseller/distributor working bi-directionally within the supply chain, success hinges on advanced collaboration in order to deliver on customer expectations.

Join us on February 24 at 1 p.m. ET for the latest in WhatTheyThink’s LunchNLearn Webinar series. In this 30-minute session, industry analyst and WhatTheyThink contributor Preston Herrin will be joined by Matt Bruno, Executive Vice President of the Print Services & Distribution Association (PSDA), to look at the key traits of successful print resellers and distributors.

What you’ll learn:

• The importance of focusing on the ever-changing needs of the end customer
• How to nurture lasting partnerships between trade providers and resellers
• How to pioneer new value chain opportunities

“Orchestrating Success: New Trends in Trade Brokering & Distributing” is the latest installment in WhatTheyThink’s monthly LunchNLearn webinar series.

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Recorded February 24, 2021