Quick Printing

2012 Qp Top 100: Reboot. Restart. Refresh

If you follow the Top 100, you already know that companies that report sales of at least $5 million do not simply drop out if they fail to report fresh numbers each year. They are estimated for two years. In the third year, if they still don't report, they are removed from the list. This year seven companies were estimated: Harteras Printing, AccuLink, Marange Printing, Russell Evans' Print Tech, House of Printing, Elm Press, and RESCO.

A Closer Look at Integrity and Communication

[Jim] was a key player in a familyowned company. Pete, the founding father, wanted to cut him in on stock shares. Unbeknownst to [Rich], the eldest son and new president, Jim found out that Rich had vetoed Pete's stock proposal. When the crunch came and Rich tried to appeal to Jim's loyalty, there was none to which to appeal.

Case of the $250,000 Blahs, Part 2

Let's summarize. Companies at this level don't have good financiáis and don't work with a budget. As a result we gamble on expansion. Sometimes we win, but often we lose. Understand what our business really is and where our customers are located. Use our marketing and sales time wisely. Sell where we are, not where we're not. Sell what we do, not what we don't.

Championing the Cause of Profits

Do you have the best dots in town? Great! That alone will win you prizes and fame. Want fortune, too? You'll have to charge more than your competitors to cover the cost of your highly tuned quality processes. Of course, that means that you may lose market share since some clients aren't willing to pay a premium.

Continuous Training Is Crucial to Success

Want to learn desktop publishing? Adobe offers a special site named tv.adobe.com. There are short training videos for every application sold by Adobe. For instance, there are 28 videos available for learning the various tasks in InDesign. There are libraries of videos on Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, Dreamweaver, and more. Quark has a YouTube channel with 14 how-to videos that walk a user through both basic and advance tasks.

Drupa 2012: Overwhelming but Worth It

Then there are the innovations and product introductions. Everyone was all a-buzz about Benny Landa's Nanoprint technology. I believe every offset manufacturer now has a digital partner and most have inkjet components to augment their presses. Ricoh debuted its Clickable Paper technology, which could well displace those butt-ugly QR codes. Whatever your areas of interest, you can find all the news at www.MyPrintResource.com.

Executive Q & A: Thomas O'connor, Jr. Ceo, Mohawk

A: The new website, mohawkconnects.com, is designed with printers in mind. It is now easy to search for paper, find relevant supporting information, order samples and cartons. We have improved our service offerings through the site, so printers can now sign up for VIP status and purchase everything from single sheets to full cartons. Shipping options have been expanded to include UPS, FedEx, and LTL.

Finishing in the Digital Age

Another consideration when it comes to finishing digital output is whether you do it in-line, near-line, or offline. Several years ago, a PR I IVl I R study found that most digital production printers were using mostly off-line finishing. At that time, about half of digital monochrome presses had some sort of in-line finishing capabilities, but less than 20 percent of color machines had any inline finishing options.

Four Steps to Get Vertical in Printing Sales

Once a print provider has a foothold and deep knowledge of a particular industry, then the ability to create extended solutions becomes greater. Knowing a particular industry doesn't just mean more traditional print sales. It also allows print providers to generate incremental revenue from additional services such as creative, database, binding, and fulfillment services.

How Do You Grow Market Share?

Regardless of market niche, geographic territory, or historic track record, it's important to plan for growing market share. Implementing a plan with accountability assigned and responsibilities clearly defined will help pave the way for success.

Ink's Jet Age

Xante launched a "super-fast" inkjet category (up to 12 inches per second at 1600x800 dpi; six inches per second at 1600x1600 dpi) with a 42-inch-wide printing system powered by Memjet at Graph Expo last fall.

Mail Room: Ask Sandra

Visibility and Control for Profitability. You will want to have visibility and control of the complete shipment process in order to manage costs and your profitability. This visibility will allow you to easily compare carrier rates and service levels. This is achieved by installing shipping software provided by an independent third party.

Stand Apart with Special Effects

For example, our refractive ink can be printed on a foil stock on a digital or offset print, and more than one vector file and be used to create a holographic effect," [Ron Hayden] says. "Let's say you're printing on a foil stock and want to create a holographic effect, but also want to create some texture on a brick or a flooring product pictured. This is ideal for businesses that supply bricks, shingles, or anything that has a textured surf ace...

Taming Your Salesperson

Training isn't missed because employees won't do it. Training is missed because the owners haven't made it a priority.