For more than 60 years, there’s been one merit held in the highest esteem from industry pros from around the world. We call him the “Benny,” and Premier Print Award winners recognize it as a golden key to open new business doors. The 2014 Premier Print Awards competition is now open. With close to 3,000 entries in 2013, the competition is fierce, but the rewards are plenty. The 112 Best of Category winners, 279 Award of Recognition honorees, 855 Certificates Certificate of Merit recipients, and 4 Best of Show award winners are set to leverage their success and set themselves apart from competitors. But first things first—you have to enter if you want to win! And here’s how: Step 1: Choose your finest work! Your piece must have been produced after May 1, 2013. Now it’s time to submit your pieces and send them to us to be judged. Step 2: Log in to our online entry system. To enter online, first visit www.printing.org/award. For returning entrants, enter your login information. For new entrants, just follow the prompts to create a new account. Forgot your username/password? Simply enter your email address into the prompt and you will receive an email with instructions to change your password. Step 3: Enter your piece into our online system. Click Award Programs. Select the 2014 Premier Print Awards. Click Create an Entry. Select your company name and begin moving down the prompts. If changes to your company information are necessary, please contact Mike Packard at mpackard@printing.org. For each entry submitted, complete all fields in the online entry system. Print out your packing slip and submit it with each piece you enter. NOTE: some entry categories may require additional information regarding your piece. For a complete listing of all 2014 PPA Categories, visit www.printing.org/ppacategories. Step 4: Send in your entry. Mail your entry to: Premier Print Awards, 200 Deer Run Road, Sewickley, PA 15143, USA. Remember these important dates! 4.18.14 Early Bird Deadline 5.16.14 Entry Deadline Just follow these simple steps, and you could be on your way to winning a 2014 Premier Print Award! And if you have any questions along the way, contact Mike Packard by clicking here. Enter the 2014 Premier Print Awards today. The early-bird deadline is April 18, 2014, and the final entry deadline is May...

For more than 60 years, there’s been one merit held in the highest esteem from industry pros from around the world. We call him the “Benny,” and Premier Print Award winners recognize it as a golden key to open new business doors. The 2014 Premier Print Awards competition is now open. With close to 3,000 entries in 2013, the competition is fierce, but the rewards are plenty. The 112 Best of Category winners, 279 Award of Recognition honorees, 855 Certificates Certificate of Merit recipients, and 4 Best of Show award winners are set to leverage their success and set themselves apart from competitors. But first things first—you have to enter if you want to win! And here’s how: Step 1: Choose your finest work! Your piece must have been produced after May 1, 2013. Now it’s time to submit your pieces and send them to us to be judged. Step 2: Log in to our online entry system. To enter online, first visit www.printing.org/award. For returning entrants, enter your login information. For new entrants, just follow the prompts to create a new account. Forgot your username/password? Simply enter your email address into the prompt and you will receive an email with instructions to change your password. Step 3: Enter your piece into our online system. Click Award Programs. Select the 2014 Premier Print Awards. Click Create an Entry. Select your company name and begin moving down the prompts. If changes to your company information are necessary, please contact Mike Packard at mpackard@printing.org. For each entry submitted, complete all fields in the online entry system. Print out your packing slip and submit it with each piece you enter. NOTE: some entry categories may require additional information regarding your piece. For a complete listing of all 2014 PPA Categories, visit www.printing.org/ppacategories. Step 4: Send in your entry. Mail your entry to: Premier Print Awards, 200 Deer Run Road, Sewickley, PA 15143, USA. Remember these important dates! 4.18.14 Early Bird Deadline 5.16.14 Entry Deadline Just follow these simple steps, and you could be on your way to winning a 2014 Premier Print Award! And if you have any questions along the way, contact Mike Packard by clicking here. Enter the 2014 Premier Print Awards today. The early-bird deadline is April 18, 2014, and the final entry deadline is May...

Are you one of the hundreds of entrepreneurial startup companies that has developed an innovative technology this year? Now that you’ve invested resources into product development, a solid marketing strategy is critical if you want to earn an ROI. Printing Industries of America provides technical support to countless industry members, and we’ve seen that many of them share a big challenge—getting their technology in front of the right customers. Small startups may have fewer resources to devote to sales and marketing, while some larger companies are searching for new or additional avenues to get in front of their target audience. Although we can’t give you the magical marketing plan that is going to catapult your brand new technology to market success, we can provide some vital core tactics. Here are five essential strategies to keep in mind. 1.   Create a marketing plan. Though it may seem like an obvious step, it’s one many companies fail to plan out completely. Ensure you are strategically assessing all the angles. What is the target market for this product? Who are our competitors?  What is our total budget? What makes our product unique? Essentially be sure to conduct a comprehensive Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. Finalize a solid strategy that meets your main objectives. 2.   Research different promotional avenues.To reach a wider audience, some companies may need to take another look at their marketing promotions. At the core, a media mix that integrates print and digital communication mediums, such as email, direct mail, and social media, is most effective. But are you missing out on other ways to reach your target customer? To make your product stand out from the competition, you may want to try entering relevant industry award programs. Those like the InterTech ™ Technology Awards, which recognizes innovative technologies, can provide valuable, industry-wide exposure and positive PR. 3.   Set your launch date and stick to it.You’ve done extensive research and made a creative plan to strategically promote your product. You know that a launch date helps keep you and your team on track by providing a deadline to work with. Even though some of the best laid plans can still go awry, remind your project leaders that sticking firmly to this date motivates the team to stay focused and in control of the project. 4.   Network, network, network!Like most things in life, success really is all about who you know. Companies that spent time widening their social circle can get more face-to-face time with potential clients. Attend conferences, trade shows, and other professional events relative to your business to make valuable connections. Other professional networking resources include industry forums, LinkedIn groups, and listservs. 5.   Stay focused on your...

Are you one of the hundreds of entrepreneurial startup companies that has developed an innovative technology this year? Now that you’ve invested resources into product development, a solid marketing strategy is critical if you want to earn an ROI. Printing Industries of America provides technical support to countless industry members, and we’ve seen that many of them share a big challenge—getting their technology in front of the right customers. Small startups may have fewer resources to devote to sales and marketing, while some larger companies are searching for new or additional avenues to get in front of their target audience. Although we can’t give you the magical marketing plan that is going to catapult your brand new technology to market success, we can provide some vital core tactics. Here are five essential strategies to keep in mind. 1.   Create a marketing plan. Though it may seem like an obvious step, it’s one many companies fail to plan out completely. Ensure you are strategically assessing all the angles. What is the target market for this product? Who are our competitors?  What is our total budget? What makes our product unique? Essentially be sure to conduct a comprehensive Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. Finalize a solid strategy that meets your main objectives. 2.   Research different promotional avenues.To reach a wider audience, some companies may need to take another look at their marketing promotions. At the core, a media mix that integrates print and digital communication mediums, such as email, direct mail, and social media, is most effective. But are you missing out on other ways to reach your target customer? To make your product stand out from the competition, you may want to try entering relevant industry award programs. Those like the InterTech ™ Technology Awards, which recognizes innovative technologies, can provide valuable, industry-wide exposure and positive PR. 3.   Set your launch date and stick to it.You’ve done extensive research and made a creative plan to strategically promote your product. You know that a launch date helps keep you and your team on track by providing a deadline to work with. Even though some of the best laid plans can still go awry, remind your project leaders that sticking firmly to this date motivates the team to stay focused and in control of the project. 4.   Network, network, network!Like most things in life, success really is all about who you know. Companies that spent time widening their social circle can get more face-to-face time with potential clients. Attend conferences, trade shows, and other professional events relative to your business to make valuable connections. Other professional networking resources include industry forums, LinkedIn groups, and listservs. 5.   Stay focused on your...

This article was submitted by T.J. Tedesco, founder and president of Grow Sales, Inc., and keynote speaker at the 2014 Print Leadership Summit. In 2012, would you have predicted that a book manufacturer would increase its sales 50% in 2013? Or that a postpress equipment manufacturer would grow sales more than 15%?  “Whoa there, T.J.,” you might be thinking. “Are these significant companies?” Absolutely. Both have been around for decades, and both crossed into the eight-figured sales level last year. The book manufacturer client has reached heights that would’ve been unthinkable five years ago. The equipment manufacturer client may have been larger once, but that was nearly two decades ago. How did they achieve this growth? Better operations execution? Better marketing? Better selling? Together these activities might boost sales and profitability a smidge. But double-digit, sustainable growth? Keep dreaming. In this industry, better execution alone isn’t enough. Change the Game These companies grew because they moved their markets. They’ve both tapped into our industry’s growing on-demand segment. Not by simply subbing in digital for offset, but by completely re-orienting their approaches to their production workflows, their customers, and their businesses in general. It’s not enough to keep moving the chains. You have to change where the game’s being played. Leadership discussions at your business should begin with this question: Where should we play ball?  Stay Competitive Bill Gates had an awesome quote about twenty years ago: “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten.”  All printing company leaders would do well to keep this thought in mind today. Let’s not panic and forget to block and tackle. Doing the fundamentals well will keep us competitive for the next two years. But if we don’t reimagine our companies, industry, and competitive landscape within the next ten years, we’ll likely be out of business. T.J. Tedesco will deliver a keynote presentation, Gloom or Bloom—Setting the Course For the Future, at the 2014 Print Leadership Summit, June 2–3 at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, TX. T.J. is founder and president of Grow Sales, Inc., an outsourced sales growth services company serving the graphic arts industries since 1996. Grow Sales, Inc. has helped many dozens of companies grow their top and bottom lines by carefully guiding their sales, marketing, public relations and graphic and web design efforts. T.J. is the author of eight books, three on marketing and sales. T.J. can be reached at (301)...