The following is a guest blog post from Kevin Cooper, author of Lean Printing: Cultural Imperatives to Success and coauthor of Lean Printing: Pathway to Success and Setup Reduction for Printers. We live in tumultuous times. We have all been taught since our earliest years that change is a constant, things change, the only constant is change, and probably many other pithy little sayings on the topic of change. With all of the focus that has been put on change it is still remarkable how difficult it is for organizations, and people, to enact and embrace change. Part of this relates to fear. Change is stressful. It takes energy to change something. Change takes focus and effort, we must do something differently. We all know this instinctively but that does not make it easier to do. Want to lose weight? You must change your exercise or eating behavior. Want to save more for retirement? The answer lies in changing your spending or saving habits. Easy to say, tougher to do. Many printers have learned about the concept of Lean management over the past few years. Few printers have been successful to any great degree in implementing Lean principles. The lack of success in the industry is not because Lean is difficult to understand or because Lean has not been proven to be applicable. The biggest impediment to Lean success for printers lies in a desire to implement Lean principles without being willing to undertake the change necessary for sustainable success. Lean is not a set of tools to layer on top of how you already do business. Lean is a fundamentally different way of managing your business. Being Lean means doing things differently than you currently do. Being Lean means changing the way you do things and that is no easier than losing weight or altering your spending habits late in life. We all yearn for the magic pill that makes problems disappear. It does not exist. Change takes effort and hard work. Want to be Lean and improve your business? It is time to...

The following is a guest blog post from Kevin Cooper, author of Lean Printing: Cultural Imperatives to Success and coauthor of Lean Printing: Pathway to Success and Setup Reduction for Printers. We live in tumultuous times. We have all been taught since our earliest years that change is a constant, things change, the only constant is change, and probably many other pithy little sayings on the topic of change. With all of the focus that has been put on change it is still remarkable how difficult it is for organizations, and people, to enact and embrace change. Part of this relates to fear. Change is stressful. It takes energy to change something. Change takes focus and effort, we must do something differently. We all know this instinctively but that does not make it easier to do. Want to lose weight? You must change your exercise or eating behavior. Want to save more for retirement? The answer lies in changing your spending or saving habits. Easy to say, tougher to do. Many printers have learned about the concept of Lean management over the past few years. Few printers have been successful to any great degree in implementing Lean principles. The lack of success in the industry is not because Lean is difficult to understand or because Lean has not been proven to be applicable. The biggest impediment to Lean success for printers lies in a desire to implement Lean principles without being willing to undertake the change necessary for sustainable success. Lean is not a set of tools to layer on top of how you already do business. Lean is a fundamentally different way of managing your business. Being Lean means doing things differently than you currently do. Being Lean means changing the way you do things and that is no easier than losing weight or altering your spending habits late in life. We all yearn for the magic pill that makes problems disappear. It does not exist. Change takes effort and hard work. Want to be Lean and improve your business? It is time to...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has amended the hazardous waste regulations that affect the way your operation needs to manage solvent-contaminated wipes. The change addresses both reusable and disposable solvent-contaminated wipes and allows them to be managed as non-hazardous waste.  Its purpose is to provide a minimum uniform set of requirements designed to protect human health and the environment, while providing for operational flexibility. The Federal Solvent-Contaminated Wipes Rule took effect January 2014. Since the rule is deregulatory, it must be adopted by each individual state before it becomes effective.  While many states have adopted the rule, not all states have undergone rulemaking.  See below for list of states that have adopted the rule. If your state has not adopted the rule, you will have to follow your current state policy as every state has a policy for reusable towels.  However, many of them require disposable towels to be managed as hazardous waste. Following EPA’s management requirements excludes reusable and disposable solvent-contaminated wipes from being regulated as a hazardous waste. This means the overall compliance cost for the industry will be reduced. If your state has adopted this rule; follow the regulations to be in compliance and save your company money. Resources: Federal Solvent-Contaminated Wipe Rule Provides Regulatory Relief – An informative article on the new rule that provides information on the rule’s required management practices. Overview of the 2013 Solvent-Contaminated Wipes Final Rule – A detailed PowerPoint explaining the new rule and its management requirements. New EPA Rules for Solvent Contaminated Wipes (Shop Towels) – An archived webinar that provides critical information on what is required and what steps must be taken to meet the new requirements. Best Management Practices – A fact sheet that identifies proper management practices. Reusable Wipes Management Poster – A poster that illustrates how to properly manage reusable wipes. Disposable Wipes Management Poster – A poster that illustrates how to properly manage disposable wipes. Compliance Documentation Form – This form identifies what needs to be documented and demonstrates compliance. Rule By State – A resource depicting the status of the solvent contaminated wipe rule for each state. EPA Resources – EPA has a dedicated web page with FAQs, fact sheets and other information on the rule changes. Solvent-Contaminated Wipes Summary Chart – A thorough summary of the updated rule in a chart format. Reusable Wipes Compliance Checklist – A checklist addressing all of the requirements that need to be met for the proper management of reusable wipes. Disposable Wipes Compliance Checklist – A checklist addressing all of the requirements that need to be met for the proper management of disposable...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has amended the hazardous waste regulations that affect the way your operation needs to manage solvent-contaminated wipes. The change addresses both reusable and disposable solvent-contaminated wipes and allows them to be managed as non-hazardous waste.  Its purpose is to provide a minimum uniform set of requirements designed to protect human health and the environment, while providing for operational flexibility. The Federal Solvent-Contaminated Wipes Rule took effect January 2014. Since the rule is deregulatory, it must be adopted by each individual state before it becomes effective.  While many states have adopted the rule, not all states have undergone rulemaking.  See below for list of states that have adopted the rule. If your state has not adopted the rule, you will have to follow your current state policy as every state has a policy for reusable towels.  However, many of them require disposable towels to be managed as hazardous waste. Following EPA’s management requirements excludes reusable and disposable solvent-contaminated wipes from being regulated as a hazardous waste. This means the overall compliance cost for the industry will be reduced. If your state has adopted this rule; follow the regulations to be in compliance and save your company money. Resources: Federal Solvent-Contaminated Wipe Rule Provides Regulatory Relief – An informative article on the new rule that provides information on the rule’s required management practices. Overview of the 2013 Solvent-Contaminated Wipes Final Rule – A detailed PowerPoint explaining the new rule and its management requirements. New EPA Rules for Solvent Contaminated Wipes (Shop Towels) – An archived webinar that provides critical information on what is required and what steps must be taken to meet the new requirements. Best Management Practices – A fact sheet that identifies proper management practices. Reusable Wipes Management Poster – A poster that illustrates how to properly manage reusable wipes. Disposable Wipes Management Poster – A poster that illustrates how to properly manage disposable wipes. Compliance Documentation Form – This form identifies what needs to be documented and demonstrates compliance. Rule By State – A resource depicting the status of the solvent contaminated wipe rule for each state. EPA Resources – EPA has a dedicated web page with FAQs, fact sheets and other information on the rule changes. Solvent-Contaminated Wipes Summary Chart – A thorough summary of the updated rule in a chart format. Reusable Wipes Compliance Checklist – A checklist addressing all of the requirements that need to be met for the proper management of reusable wipes. Disposable Wipes Compliance Checklist – A checklist addressing all of the requirements that need to be met for the proper management of disposable...

Through this series of blogs, the campaign leaders of Value of Print, Choose Print, and Print Grows Trees are revealing the effects these campaigns are having on the industry and how they’re fighting to help educate print buyers. In Part One Lisa Rawa, Vice President of Marketing for Printing Industries of America, gave insights into the successful Value of Print campaign, including reactions from industry members. Here in Part Two, we travel to Printing Industries of America’s southern California affiliate, Printing Industries Association, Inc. of Southern California (PIASC), and their solid campaign to educate consumers about print. When we look at today’s marketing, we see that it’s heavily focused on “engaging” customers. Well what’s a more engaging medium than print? Print is tactile. It’s visual. And it is an essential part of a larger, interactive multi-channel marketing campaign. The tactility of print is just one of the key messages promoted by Choose Print, the powerful multimedia campaign by PIASC. Since the campaign launched in January 2011, Choose Print has become another integral go-to resource for print professionals in California and beyond and featured at trade shows and in articles from industry publications. We spoke with Ara Izquierdo, EVP/COO of PIASC as she shared how their strategic messaging is impacting consumers. 1. One significant advantage of print is no doubt its tangibility. How are you driving the tactile benefits of print, and what effects are you seeing from this messaging? ChoosePrint is a multi-media campaign, so we have taken a multimedia approach to driving home this message. Tactile Print Pieces are really our core medium.Among the pieces we have produced, there are two specific pieces that demonstrate the message. The first piece was “Print is Rich.” The front side of this postcard was 4-color process, embossed and engraved on 80# Classic Crest Smooth Cover Solar White stock. Mounted to this was the back side, which was Xerox color digital and foil stamped on 105# Esse Digital Cover Pearlized White. The second piece, “Touch,” is an engraved and blind embossed 8½ × 11-inch piece printed on Classic Crest Cover Avalanche White 100C Eggshell Finish. Print delivers tactile information—just one of the reasons you should Choose Print. These pieces have been used as Direct Mail and Magazine Inserts. “Print is Rich” was mailed out as part of a two-year postcard campaign targeting ad agencies and print buyers. The “Touch” piece was inserted into the May/June 2014 issue of GDUSA magazine. Additionally, Trade Shows offer an opportunity to reach consumers. “Print is Rich” was distributed to designers and print buyers at the 2013 HOW Design Conference as well as numerous industry and non-industry events. “Touch” will be distributed at the 2014 HOW Design...