As members of the print and graphic arts industry, we’ve become experts at evolution. Re-inventors. We take high-quality original products and morph them to meet today’s ever-changing standards. The NEW BIA (formerly Binding Industries of America) is another example of reinvention. It reflects the changing needs of its postpress members, from cashing in on the hot packaging market to providing solutions for end clients. “The needs of the industry have changed,” said Chris Eckhart, President of Eckhart & Co. and member of the NEW BIA Board of Directors. “The fresh look of the NEW BIA reflects the refocus of the organization’s efforts to provide members with unparalleled networking opportunities, the latest information on technologies changing the industry, and educational resources to support and grow your business. The NEW BIA is providing postpress companies with the tools they need to evolve with the industry,” You may have seen the updated NEW BIA logo, but what benefits does the NEW BIA offer members? And how do these benefits directly impact postpress companies? We talked with Mike Packard about what members can expect. Can you give us more details on the transition to the NEW BIA and your new value proposition? Mike: Our special interest group has been going strong since 1955 because of our dedication to supporting our members. A lot of change has taken place in just the past few years with regard to technology, and we recognize that these changes have significant impacts on our finishing professionals and industry suppliers. We realized that we needed to grow with our members in order to truly meet their needs and provide solutions. The NEW BIA focuses on the finest networking, education, and our members’ ever-expanding opportunities, broadening our range of benefits to meet our members’ expanding needs. What additional benefits does the NEW BIA offer members going into 2015? Mike: We realize our members value learning and networking to help them grow their business. For one of the latest benefits, we are working with the Integrated Learning Center to develop market-specific online courses for finishing industry professionals. Members can also access Economic and Technology reports as well as get a free copy of the Ratios report when they participate in the survey*.  Peer Groups are major benefits for professionals today, and BIA members now have access to several groups, including Virtual Peer Groups. You’ve looked closely at what benefits your members value most. What are some of the original benefits you still offer as the NEW BIA? Mike: Our members have relied on us for more than 60 years to give them the tools to grow successfully, so when we expanded our offerings, we made sure that we retained our core...

As members of the print and graphic arts industry, we’ve become experts at evolution. Re-inventors. We take high-quality original products and morph them to meet today’s ever-changing standards. The NEW BIA (formerly Binding Industries of America) is another example of reinvention. It reflects the changing needs of its postpress members, from cashing in on the hot packaging market to providing solutions for end clients. “The needs of the industry have changed,” said Chris Eckhart, President of Eckhart & Co. and member of the NEW BIA Board of Directors. “The fresh look of the NEW BIA reflects the refocus of the organization’s efforts to provide members with unparalleled networking opportunities, the latest information on technologies changing the industry, and educational resources to support and grow your business. The NEW BIA is providing postpress companies with the tools they need to evolve with the industry,” You may have seen the updated NEW BIA logo, but what benefits does the NEW BIA offer members? And how do these benefits directly impact postpress companies? We talked with Mike Packard about what members can expect. Can you give us more details on the transition to the NEW BIA and your new value proposition? Mike: Our special interest group has been going strong since 1955 because of our dedication to supporting our members. A lot of change has taken place in just the past few years with regard to technology, and we recognize that these changes have significant impacts on our finishing professionals and industry suppliers. We realized that we needed to grow with our members in order to truly meet their needs and provide solutions. The NEW BIA focuses on the finest networking, education, and our members’ ever-expanding opportunities, broadening our range of benefits to meet our members’ expanding needs. What additional benefits does the NEW BIA offer members going into 2015? Mike: We realize our members value learning and networking to help them grow their business. For one of the latest benefits, we are working with the Integrated Learning Center to develop market-specific online courses for finishing industry professionals. Members can also access Economic and Technology reports as well as get a free copy of the Ratios report when they participate in the survey*.  Peer Groups are major benefits for professionals today, and BIA members now have access to several groups, including Virtual Peer Groups. You’ve looked closely at what benefits your members value most. What are some of the original benefits you still offer as the NEW BIA? Mike: Our members have relied on us for more than 60 years to give them the tools to grow successfully, so when we expanded our offerings, we made sure that we retained our core...

Each year we search the globe to find outstanding keynote speakers for the Technical Association of the Graphics Art (TAGA) Annual Technical Conference. After all, the conference has a reputation of highlighting some of the most dynamic thought leaders in our industry. The print professionals, scientists, and researchers coming to the  67th TAGA Conference, March 22–25, 2015, in Albuquerque, NM, will hear thought-provoking keynote discussions on new print applications; print-centric, omni-channel marketing; national security innovations; and printed electronic opportunities. The headlining speakers bring a wide range of experience and expertise that drives the BIG ideas for the printing industry. Chris Travis, Director of Technology, KBA Chris Travis has been involved in the printing industry since he was 15 years old. From an apprentice at a U.K. printing company, Chris went full-steam ahead, landing high-profile positions, including Experimental Printing Manager of Global Research and Development for Flint Ink before he began with KBA as Director of Technology. Chris is a major player in the company’s new and future technologies as well as sales, marketing, and product management. He draws on this broad experience in his TAGA keynote session “Ink on Substrate—New Printing Processes and Applications that Can Expand the Positioning of Today’s Printer” where he explains how traditional printers can expand their portfolio by offering ancillary services to build new revenue streams using existing internal knowledge and processes. KBA, headquartered in Dallas, TX, is the oldest and second largest press manufacturer in the world and has a history of influence in the technology market. The company earned multiple InterTech™ Technology Awards, the latest for its Flying JobChange in 2011. Michael Van Haren, Postal Solutions Sales Manager, Quad/Graphics Mike Van Haren is a big believer in the power of print—especially when it is strategically linked and aligned with all other channels of marketing. For more than 25 years, he has dedicated his career to the print and media technology industry in a number of technical, marketing, business development, and operational management positions. He’s managed a variety of teams and worked with customers from around the globe. With more than seven years at one of the largest magazine, catalog, and direct marketing printers in the Western Hemisphere, Quad/Graphics’ Postal Solutions Sales Manager is all about marketing solutions. Mike leads a team of sales consultants who guide customers in strategy and development of targeted, measurable, multichannel marketing solutions and assists them with postal optimization through innovative data management and analytics. This evolving technology is the topic of Mike’s keynote session at the Annual TAGA Conference in March. He’ll present “Using Data and a Print-centric Strategy to Manage Relevant, Timely Omni-channel Marketing” and show how to successfully use customer and mail delivery data to...

Each year we search the globe to find outstanding keynote speakers for the Technical Association of the Graphics Art (TAGA) Annual Technical Conference. After all, the conference has a reputation of highlighting some of the most dynamic thought leaders in our industry. The print professionals, scientists, and researchers coming to the  67th TAGA Conference, March 22–25, 2015, in Albuquerque, NM, will hear thought-provoking keynote discussions on new print applications; print-centric, omni-channel marketing; national security innovations; and printed electronic opportunities. The headlining speakers bring a wide range of experience and expertise that drives the BIG ideas for the printing industry. Chris Travis, Director of Technology, KBA Chris Travis has been involved in the printing industry since he was 15 years old. From an apprentice at a U.K. printing company, Chris went full-steam ahead, landing high-profile positions, including Experimental Printing Manager of Global Research and Development for Flint Ink before he began with KBA as Director of Technology. Chris is a major player in the company’s new and future technologies as well as sales, marketing, and product management. He draws on this broad experience in his TAGA keynote session “Ink on Substrate—New Printing Processes and Applications that Can Expand the Positioning of Today’s Printer” where he explains how traditional printers can expand their portfolio by offering ancillary services to build new revenue streams using existing internal knowledge and processes. KBA, headquartered in Dallas, TX, is the oldest and second largest press manufacturer in the world and has a history of influence in the technology market. The company earned multiple InterTech™ Technology Awards, the latest for its Flying JobChange in 2011. Michael Van Haren, Postal Solutions Sales Manager, Quad/Graphics Mike Van Haren is a big believer in the power of print—especially when it is strategically linked and aligned with all other channels of marketing. For more than 25 years, he has dedicated his career to the print and media technology industry in a number of technical, marketing, business development, and operational management positions. He’s managed a variety of teams and worked with customers from around the globe. With more than seven years at one of the largest magazine, catalog, and direct marketing printers in the Western Hemisphere, Quad/Graphics’ Postal Solutions Sales Manager is all about marketing solutions. Mike leads a team of sales consultants who guide customers in strategy and development of targeted, measurable, multichannel marketing solutions and assists them with postal optimization through innovative data management and analytics. This evolving technology is the topic of Mike’s keynote session at the Annual TAGA Conference in March. He’ll present “Using Data and a Print-centric Strategy to Manage Relevant, Timely Omni-channel Marketing” and show how to successfully use customer and mail delivery data to...

Each year we search the globe to find outstanding keynote speakers for the Technical Association of the Graphics Art (TAGA) Annual Technical Conference. After all, the conference has a reputation of highlighting some of the most dynamic thought leaders in our industry. The print professionals, scientists, and researchers coming to the  67th TAGA Conference, March 22–25, 2015, in Albuquerque, NM, will hear thought-provoking keynote discussions on new print applications; print-centric, omni-channel marketing; national security innovations; and printed electronic opportunities. The headlining speakers bring a wide range of experience and expertise that drives the BIG ideas for the printing industry. Chris Travis, Director of Technology, KBA Chris Travis has been involved in the printing industry since he was 15 years old. From an apprentice at a U.K. printing company, Chris went full-steam ahead, landing high-profile positions, including Experimental Printing Manager of Global Research and Development for Flint Ink before he began with KBA as Director of Technology. Chris is a major player in the company’s new and future technologies as well as sales, marketing, and product management. He draws on this broad experience in his TAGA keynote session “Ink on Substrate—New Printing Processes and Applications that Can Expand the Positioning of Today’s Printer” where he explains how traditional printers can expand their portfolio by offering ancillary services to build new revenue streams using existing internal knowledge and processes. KBA, headquartered in Dallas, TX, is the oldest and second largest press manufacturer in the world and has a history of influence in the technology market. The company earned multiple InterTech™ Technology Awards, the latest for its Flying JobChange in 2011. Michael Van Haren, Postal Solutions Sales Manager, Quad/Graphics Mike Van Haren is a big believer in the power of print—especially when it is strategically linked and aligned with all other channels of marketing. For more than 25 years, he has dedicated his career to the print and media technology industry in a number of technical, marketing, business development, and operational management positions. He’s managed a variety of teams and worked with customers from around the globe. With more than seven years at one of the largest magazine, catalog, and direct marketing printers in the Western Hemisphere, Quad/Graphics’ Postal Solutions Sales Manager is all about marketing solutions. Mike leads a team of sales consultants who guide customers in strategy and development of targeted, measurable, multichannel marketing solutions and assists them with postal optimization through innovative data management and analytics. This evolving technology is the topic of Mike’s keynote session at the Annual TAGA Conference in March. He’ll present “Using Data and a Print-centric Strategy to Manage Relevant, Timely Omni-channel Marketing” and show how to successfully use customer and mail delivery data to...

This blog was adapted from “The Evolution of Color in High-Speed Production Inkjet” by Mike Herold, and Nick Fiore of RICOH Company Limited. You can read the full article in the November 2014 issue of Printing Industries of America: The Magazine. Mike is a featured speaker at the 2014 Color Conference, December 6–9, in Scottsdale, AZ. Where is digital inkjet now, where is it going, and how is it impacting you? The fast-growing market of High-speed production inkjet has transformed color printing in recent years. Today the opportunities are virtually limitless, affording greater capabilities and higher-coverage applications, such as direct mail, marketing collateral, books, and more. Digital inkjet now offers users the capabilities to produce rich color, completely variable, and full dynamic printing. As digital color consistency improves, much of this progress can be traced to new processes, inks, heads, coatings, and substrate options. Let’s take a look at these sources of progress and the exciting new applications of high-speed production inkjet! 1. Paper In high-speed production inkjet’s infancy, paper options were limited to say the least. Not optimized for high-volume piezoelectric drop-on-demand inkjet technologies, papers either absorbed too much ink or not enough. The result was less-then-desirable color output. Over the past five years, and especially during the last two, this challenge has changed dramatically. New paper types, including recycled, inkjet coated, inkjet treated, and others have enabled customers to receive enticing output at a price appropriate for their markets. The paper industry is also designing papers with specific ink types in mind, which is a huge step forward! Soon it may no longer be necessary to use coated papers, and users will have more choices without having to worry that their substrate is at odds with the color. 2. Ink Developments and Advancements Inks are evolving as well with most high-speed inkjet vendors providing—and customers leveraging—a variety of dye, pigment, MICR, and other inks to meet the changing and growing demands for new applications. This diversity is enhancing color output and opening up a new world of applications for inkjet. These new inks are higher density, more vibrant, and contain a lower water content to speed drying time and reduce the power needed to produce higher ink amount applications. But they’re not easy to formulate. Energy consumption, characteristics of the paper, color gamut, and finishing processes all need to be taken into consideration. 3. Advances in Color and Ink Management Tools Next-generation controllers and workflows offer enhanced color management by size and object type, which lays the groundwork for more accurate color and consistent reproduction. Spot color dictionaries from Pantone and other color leaders enable spot color mapping, custom curves, and linked and unlinked advanced color management....