This blog is adapted from the article “The Future of the Print Industry” by Joseph Puopolo, CEO, Printchomp, and featured speaker at the 2014 Print Leadership Summit, June 2–3, Dallas, TX. What’s one word to sum up the future of print? Adaptation. Yes, what seems to be the law of nature also holds true for the print industry, along with many others. Those who adapt and effectively use new technologies will survive, while those who don’t … well, let’s say that it pays to listen to experts. But deciding which technology to invest in can be a major challenge for many print companies.  Here, one expert, Joseph Puopolo, CEO and Founder of Printchomp, a 15-year leader in the tech industry, offers insights into trending technologies and how printers can use them to their advantage. When Puopolo set out to find the most effective solutions for both printers and customers, he came to a realization. He noticed that, among the thousands of printers he’s worked with, four major trends stand out that are critical to future success. The future belongs to those who adapt to these changes in technology. Trend #1: Automation If you want to significantly reduce inefficiencies in your print shop, workflow automation is a must. This is a growing trend in both work and order flow. Automation has shown to be the most effective way to increase turnaround time and lower waste. Sales are rising too, thanks to the latest automated systems. While traditional sales methods still hold their importance, printers are building more intuitive automated lead-generation engines to help fill the new customer deficit. Learn more about automation as Poupolo presents “Automating the Flow of Data In and Out of Your Organization” at Printing Industries of America’s innovative 2014 Print Leadership Summit, June 2–3, Dallas, TX. Trend #2: Specialization A customer goes to a customized printer and gets a price quote. Then that customer takes the same job to a generalized printer and gets an entirely different quote! If your print shop has ever had to deal with a situation like this, you know why product specialization is growing. It allows for efficient product delivery at a reasonable price to the target customer. Specialized printers’ margins are often better than the generalized Jack-of-all-trades printers who may offer a wide range of products, but are often forced to rely more heavily on trade printers for most of their fulfillment. Trend #3: Integration In an on-demand world, customers don’t want to use multiple systems or go through multiple people to get what they need. Go through any fast food drive-through, and it’s clear—people just expect things to happen. Printers need to integrate their clients with their operation to...

This blog is adapted from the article “The Future of the Print Industry” by Joseph Puopolo, CEO, Printchomp, and featured speaker at the 2014 Print Leadership Summit, June 2–3, Dallas, TX. What’s one word to sum up the future of print? Adaptation. Yes, what seems to be the law of nature also holds true for the print industry, along with many others. Those who adapt and effectively use new technologies will survive, while those who don’t … well, let’s say that it pays to listen to experts. But deciding which technology to invest in can be a major challenge for many print companies.  Here, one expert, Joseph Puopolo, CEO and Founder of Printchomp, a 15-year leader in the tech industry, offers insights into trending technologies and how printers can use them to their advantage. When Puopolo set out to find the most effective solutions for both printers and customers, he came to a realization. He noticed that, among the thousands of printers he’s worked with, four major trends stand out that are critical to future success. The future belongs to those who adapt to these changes in technology. Trend #1: Automation If you want to significantly reduce inefficiencies in your print shop, workflow automation is a must. This is a growing trend in both work and order flow. Automation has shown to be the most effective way to increase turnaround time and lower waste. Sales are rising too, thanks to the latest automated systems. While traditional sales methods still hold their importance, printers are building more intuitive automated lead-generation engines to help fill the new customer deficit. Learn more about automation as Poupolo presents “Automating the Flow of Data In and Out of Your Organization” at Printing Industries of America’s innovative 2014 Print Leadership Summit, June 2–3, Dallas, TX. Trend #2: Specialization A customer goes to a customized printer and gets a price quote. Then that customer takes the same job to a generalized printer and gets an entirely different quote! If your print shop has ever had to deal with a situation like this, you know why product specialization is growing. It allows for efficient product delivery at a reasonable price to the target customer. Specialized printers’ margins are often better than the generalized Jack-of-all-trades printers who may offer a wide range of products, but are often forced to rely more heavily on trade printers for most of their fulfillment. Trend #3: Integration In an on-demand world, customers don’t want to use multiple systems or go through multiple people to get what they need. Go through any fast food drive-through, and it’s clear—people just expect things to happen. Printers need to integrate their clients with their operation to...

Millenials. The Digital Generation. Gen Y. There are different monikers for this generation, but the general characterization is of a younger person attached to their smartphone or other mobile device like a virtual umbilical cord. This is the generation that considers print about as useful a communication form as carrier pigeons, right? The latest studies are indicating that this isn’t always the case. In fact, one current update from the Value of Print reports that “A recent study finds the new digital generation—teens, ages 12 to 17—generally have more favorable attitudes toward print, radio, and TV ads, than online ads. (Print in the Mix, U.S. Teens Prefer Offline Ads to Online.) Actually, if you—or your customers—assume younger generations communicate solely on an electronic interface, it may be a surprise to learn that a significant number of college-age students today are choosing print for academic reading! Misconceptions There are a number of misconceptions around how Gen Y students consume print material. In 2010 experts even predicted that eText (digital textbook) usage would rise more than 16%. However, this increase didn’t happen. (The Hays Daily News, Students Prefer Print). In one study, “Student Reading Practices in Print and Electronic Media,” by Nancy M. Foasberg, set to be published in the journal College & Research Libraries in September 2014, researchers tracked the reading habits of the College of New York students. What they found was not a group of digital-addicted zombies but rather scholars who crave the tangible effectiveness printed textbooks afford. Key findings of the study: Although students used electronic media for non-academic reading, many rely on paper for academics. As it turns out, students like the interactivity that print allows—taking notes and highlighting on the page. Several students in the study expressed that they disliked the embedded links in eTexts because they were distracting. Some students use digital textbooks because their schools offer eBook deals. However those who have eBooks end up printing them out and cancelling out any money they may have saved. By the Numbers For another way to see what medium students prefer, just look at the numbers. In a recent article from Brown University, eBook sales account for less than 0.5% of their bookstore revenue. Although the school expects the eventual transition to digital textbooks, according to Steven Souza, the bookstore’s director, “Students [currently] seem to have zero interest in [eTexts].” The students there cite their preference for printed books on factors like the ease and familiarity. One student commented, “I like flipping though a textbook.” This Is Your Brain on Print Why do students seem to prefer print for academic reading? The Foasberg study claims there are scientific reasons behind their choice. Print may actually...

Millenials. The Digital Generation. Gen Y. There are different monikers for this generation, but the general characterization is of a younger person attached to their smartphone or other mobile device like a virtual umbilical cord. This is the generation that considers print about as useful a communication form as carrier pigeons, right? The latest studies are indicating that this isn’t always the case. In fact, one current update from the Value of Print reports that “A recent study finds the new digital generation—teens, ages 12 to 17—generally have more favorable attitudes toward print, radio, and TV ads, than online ads. (Print in the Mix, U.S. Teens Prefer Offline Ads to Online.) Actually, if you—or your customers—assume younger generations communicate solely on an electronic interface, it may be a surprise to learn that a significant number of college-age students today are choosing print for academic reading! Misconceptions There are a number of misconceptions around how Gen Y students consume print material. In 2010 experts even predicted that eText (digital textbook) usage would rise more than 16%. However, this increase didn’t happen. (The Hays Daily News, Students Prefer Print). In one study, “Student Reading Practices in Print and Electronic Media,” by Nancy M. Foasberg, set to be published in the journal College & Research Libraries in September 2014, researchers tracked the reading habits of the College of New York students. What they found was not a group of digital-addicted zombies but rather scholars who crave the tangible effectiveness printed textbooks afford. Key findings of the study: Although students used electronic media for non-academic reading, many rely on paper for academics. As it turns out, students like the interactivity that print allows—taking notes and highlighting on the page. Several students in the study expressed that they disliked the embedded links in eTexts because they were distracting. Some students use digital textbooks because their schools offer eBook deals. However those who have eBooks end up printing them out and cancelling out any money they may have saved. By the Numbers For another way to see what medium students prefer, just look at the numbers. In a recent article from Brown University, eBook sales account for less than 0.5% of their bookstore revenue. Although the school expects the eventual transition to digital textbooks, according to Steven Souza, the bookstore’s director, “Students [currently] seem to have zero interest in [eTexts].” The students there cite their preference for printed books on factors like the ease and familiarity. One student commented, “I like flipping though a textbook.” This Is Your Brain on Print Why do students seem to prefer print for academic reading? The Foasberg study claims there are scientific reasons behind their choice. Print may actually...

The PPLUS Global Logistics Team is excited to be a part of the Printing Industries of America Buying Program. We have seen great success in the first year of the program and enjoyed the opportunity to attend PRINT 13 last fall to meet current customers and gain many new contacts. In the new year, we have added many new carriers to our database. We are adding new carriers on a daily basis at all locations across the country with enhanced service, added coverage, and aggressively reduced rates. To strengthen the relationship with Printing Industries of America and its affiliates, the PPLUS Team has negotiated for no rate increase this year, which is extremely beneficial to you as members and frequent shippers.         At the end of last year, our newly branded Print Freight website, www.printfreight.com, was finalized and created specifically for our printing customers such as yourselves. If you have not yet taken the opportunity to do so, take a look at the newly updated site. If you are not yet a part of our Buying Program, you can use the login information below to log in and get rate quotes on your shipments in order to take a look at what we have to offer: www.printfreight.com Username: PIAdemo Password: password1 In addition, be sure to follow us Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest news and updates specific to transportation and logistics in the printing industry. If you’re interested in learning more or would like to become a part of this program, contact us directly via phone at 636-946-7587 or send an email to Kasey Lucas at Kasey@pplusglobal.com. We look forward to working with you and further serving the printing...