Archives
Cookie support
Jul 01, 2011The annual cookie program is a major fundraiser for the Girl Scouts of the Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys Council (River Valleys) (www.girlscoutsrv.org). Encouraging Scout participation is critical to the success of the program. In the past, staff had provided vital information through a monthly e-mail that only reached parents or troop leaders. River Valleys felt that communicating directly
Improving the USPS
Jul 01, 2011The annual National Postal Forum (NPF), held in San Diego, May 1-4, 2011, hosted approximately 4,000 attendees. Here are some highlights relevant to U.S. printers: Free Confirm Data Effective with the anticipated pricing change in January 2012, the United States Postal Service (USPS) will begin offering free Confirm mail tracking data for mailers participating in Intelligent Mail Full-Service. Remember,
Benefit from change
Jul 01, 2011The new, electronica-esque drupa song was written to express drupa's themes of dynamics, optimism and a focus on the future. Messe Dsseldorf promises it will get you in the mood for the May 2012 show. See www.drupa.com.
New approach to mechanical binding
Jul 01, 2011The EcoBinder coil binding system from Kugler-Womako (www.kw.kpl.net), a Korber PaperLink company, eliminates traditional plastic combs or wire spirals in favor of 22-mm wide printable paper rings. Input and output stations are located next to each other one worker can operate the entire machine. In the semi-automated version, bundles are inserted by hand. At 15 cpm and with no manual intervention
Reducing the book's carbon footprint
Jul 01, 2011The Green Press Initiative's Book Industry Environmental Council encompassing publishers, printers, paper suppliers and non-governmental organizations aims to achieve a 20% reduction in the book industry's carbon footprint by 2020. In 2007, their study concluded annual emissions are 12.4 metric tons, as an industry, and about 8.5 metric lbs. per printed book. Cascades' Julie Loyer explains the group's
Don't be a museum piece
Jul 01, 2011Midway Village is one of thousands of living history museums scattered throughout the United States. It has a museum full of indoor exhibits, but the main draw is its outdoor collection of restored pioneer-era buildings. Midway Village features 26 historical structures, including a general store, hardware store, blacksmith shop, schoolhouse, town hall, police station, plumbing shop, bank, hotel, hospital,
Michael Scott, have you met The Printz?
Jul 01, 2011How do you leverage social media to promote digital, offset, wide-format and photobook capabilities? Canada's TPH/The Printing, a quick printing specialist with 70-company owned locations, recently wrestled with this B2B branding challenge. Teaming with Endeavour Marketing (Toronto), TPH launched a series of seven videos starring The Printz. This shaggy Nordic character something like a cross between
Feeding the elephants while searching for greener pastures
Jul 01, 2011Until a few years ago, printers could earn a living just by being good operators paying attention to executing well in sales and manufacturing. They weren't profit leaders but they could get by, doing the same old things a little differently. Now, doing the same old things just doesn't work at all, and more than one third of all printers have disappeared. The dual challenge The economics of a printing
7 tips for continuous improvement
Jul 01, 2011Our company has spent the past two years implementing lean manufacturing principles throughout our operation. During this time, we've learned a lot and realized tremendous benefits. The biggest benefit printers will notice with lean is a reduction in process lead times, resulting in lower costs, higher quality and improved on-time deliveries. This translates into greater customer loyalty and a higher
Avoid a tablet generation gap
Jul 01, 2011If you want to know if someone is 35 or older just sneak a peek at the bottom of their feet. Our soles are dirty and calloused from powering our Flintstone Mobiles. A Pew Research report found: Millennials (AKA the 18-34 year olds) are the only generation that is more likely to own a laptop computer or netbook than a desktop: 70% own a laptop.
Seeing the light
Jul 01, 2011IST METZ held its Fifth UV Days at its sprawling headquarters near Stuttgart, Germany, this May. The three-day event, which attracted about 550 attendees from 30 different countries, featured four printing demos on sheetfed, digital, label and pad printing equipment. IST converted part of its massive Plant 2B building into a temporary UV Lounge complete with couches, chairs and refreshment stations.
Industry | Events 2011
Jul 01, 2011Introducing PMA (www.pmai.org), The Worldwide Community of Imaging Associations, recently launched CliQ (www.cliqworld.com) with how-to tips, product reviews and monthly photo contests. CliQ brings extensive changes to the PMA 2011 annual convention. PMA has formed a partnership with the Consumer Electronics Assn. to co-locate CliQ (formerly the PMA show) with the 2012 International CES , scheduled
Printers to the trade
Jul 01, 2011Wholesale printing is a sensitive business. One trade shop will serve numerous commercial printers, some of which are sure to be competitors. Integrity is everything in this segment of the market, says Raymond J. Prince, vice president of NAPL's Technical Consulting Group. In my opinion, 95% of [printers to the trade] are great, but a few have salespeople who do not recognize the special relationship
How to save money on ink
Jul 01, 2011We all like to save money on our raw materials, but there are good ways and bad ways to do it. The cheapest ink might be what you need to do the job. Or, it very well might not be what is needed, and it could be costing you a lot of money. Test a set of inks for at least 30 days on press in production. If there are issues with quality or service, they will show up in this timespan. I have several
Paper replaces PVC for gift cards
Jun 01, 2011Monadnock Paper Mills (www.mpm.com) launches Monadnock Envi Card Stock, The Un-Plastic, creating a renewable wood fiber alternative to PVC card materials. Envi Card Stock is recommended for gift cards, loyalty cards, membership cards, hotel keys and durable signage. It is durable, recyclable and prints using offset, thermal or digital printing techniques. It can be embossed, foil stamped and laminated,
Embrace technology
Jun 01, 2011Graph Expo 2011 (www.graphexpo.com) is billed as, The most comprehensive trade show for prepress, printing, finishing, converting, mailing, wide format and digital technologies in the Americas in 2011. Themed Embrace Technology, the big show will take place September 11-14 in Chicago's McCormick Place South. More than 500 exhibitors are expected to show their wares. Twenty or more co-located industry
Logos that educate
Jun 01, 2011Finch Paper (www.finchpaper.com) unveils its latest educational offering on the company's website, a new Environmental Logos section. Designers and printers seeking to prominently display the environmental attributes of the paper they use can download several industry logos to help communicate environmental responsibility to customers' audiences. The logos, available in EPS and JPEG formats, clearly
A press manufacturer's worst nightmare?
Jun 01, 2011The answer is not you, but bad power, power outages and power surges to the pressroom sheetfed or web. With older presses, there are some issues; with newer, more complex presses, these become severe. The cure varies depending on the consistency of power in your area. The first protection you will need for delicate computer equipment is commonly called a buck booster to increase voltage in case of
A Father's Day salute
Jun 01, 2011Don Burdge is president of LA-based BurdgeCooper. He's also an Eagle Scout, as is his son. But in Don's eight years of serving as counselor for the Graphic Arts and Pulp and Paper merit badges, only one scout contacted him. He never showed up for the appointment, recalls Burdge. Mark Barbour, curator at the Printing Museum (Carson, CA), and I discussed hosting a Merit
Appearance & reality
Jun 01, 2011Gmund 925 paper is produced with a mixture of pure silver ions, boasting the first presentation of this effect in the paper industry. Silver's shiny look and metallic properties guarantee a well-balanced relationship between appearance and reality in Gmund 925, the company reports. Designed for presentations, its brushed surface emphasizes elegance and a technically skillful character. The palette
It's not about the press
Jun 01, 2011Yes, most presses look alike to the general public. Should we educate them on the differences? Don't bother.
Xerox update
Jun 01, 2011Ink purchase funds operational upgrades
Jun 01, 2011Fujifilm North America Corp.'s Graphic Systems Division (www.fujifilmgs.com) and Van Son Holland Ink Corp. of America (www.vansonink.com) announce a new program now available to Fujifilm customers who purchase Van Son inks for the first time. The Van Son Fujifilm Tech Advantage Program allows customers to use Van Son ink purchases from Fujifilm to help finance professional services such as G7 education
5 tips for print business survival
Jun 01, 2011Management fads come and go, even in our printing and bindery businesses: Six Sigma Sensitivity training Management by Objective (MBO) Core Competency Management by Consensus is one of the current fads. Twitter, which prides itself on wackiness, has a team of people whose job is to make people happy. Seriously. Fads are not without value they do, indeed, provide useful business practices to many companies.
People
Jun 01, 2011Kodak has named Eric Owen vice president, worldwide sales and business development, Digital Printing Solutions. KBA North America announces that Greg Schiefelbein has been selected as the new sheetfed district sales manager covering the Midwest territory of MI, IN, OH and KY. The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) has appointed Charles Riddle to serve as chief information officer. Van Son Holland
