This post was submitted by 2017 President’s Conference sponsor, Fujifilm.  Fujifilm’s Graphic Systems Division is proud of its long-standing support of Printing Industries of America and honored to once again be a sponsor at the President’s Conference in 2017. Our loyalty to PIA and its members aligns with Fujifilm’s goal to be a leader in the graphic communications industry.  Our commitment to our collective industry is second to none, both in terms of personnel and investments. In the North America market alone, we have a combined field sales and service team of more than 325 skilled professionals. Over the years, the Graphic Systems Division of Fujifilm has invested more than $1 billion in targeted acquisitions in the digital print technology category and invested in research and development projects that have resulted in many award-winning products, including Fujifilm Dimatix Samba printheads and the Fujifilm J Press 720S sheetfed inkjet press. Fujifilm stands apart based upon our broad perspective on both the legacy, analog components of your business and every aspect of the newer options for digital print production. Whether its pressroom supplies or the premier portfolio of offset and flexo printing plates and equipment, we serve a wide range of print providers in a number of print segments. When it comes to digital print, we span the gamut from toner-based solutions to hybrid combinations of traditional and digital, to the cutting edge of 100% digital inkjet solutions for applications ranging from commercial to packaging and wide format. Our renovated and expanded Fujifilm Chicago Technology Center encompasses more than 23,000 square feet, offering our customers opportunities to evaluate a wide array of innovative printing solutions. From offset to packaging, wide format to narrow web labels, digital toner presses to high-speed production inkjet presses, and workflow to color management, Fujifilm delivers a hands-on educational experience for print providers, all in one facility. A visit to the Technology Center includes one-on-one demonstrations allowing you to run your files on your substrates. We offer VIP tours, informative Technology Summits, and industry events. We can arrange a private tour for you and your company as well. With the most diverse product and solution portfolio in the graphics industry, Fujifilm can provide an insightful, close-up experience on how the latest innovative technologies can expand and grow your printing business. Your attendance at the President’s Conference is a testament to your leadership approach within your organization; seeking to network and learn from subject-matter experts and your peers is a key success factor in our ever-changing industry. If you are a current customer, thank you for your business. We don’t take our business relationship for granted. If you aren’t currently a Fujifilm customer, we would appreciate the opportunity better understand you, and your business,...

This post was submitted by 2017 President’s Conference sponsor, Fujifilm.  Fujifilm’s Graphic Systems Division is proud of its long-standing support of Printing Industries of America and honored to once again be a sponsor at the President’s Conference in 2017. Our loyalty to PIA and its members aligns with Fujifilm’s goal to be a leader in the graphic communications industry.  Our commitment to our collective industry is second to none, both in terms of personnel and investments. In the North America market alone, we have a combined field sales and service team of more than 325 skilled professionals. Over the years, the Graphic Systems Division of Fujifilm has invested more than $1 billion in targeted acquisitions in the digital print technology category and invested in research and development projects that have resulted in many award-winning products, including Fujifilm Dimatix Samba printheads and the Fujifilm J Press 720S sheetfed inkjet press. Fujifilm stands apart based upon our broad perspective on both the legacy, analog components of your business and every aspect of the newer options for digital print production. Whether its pressroom supplies or the premier portfolio of offset and flexo printing plates and equipment, we serve a wide range of print providers in a number of print segments. When it comes to digital print, we span the gamut from toner-based solutions to hybrid combinations of traditional and digital, to the cutting edge of 100% digital inkjet solutions for applications ranging from commercial to packaging and wide format. Our renovated and expanded Fujifilm Chicago Technology Center encompasses more than 23,000 square feet, offering our customers opportunities to evaluate a wide array of innovative printing solutions. From offset to packaging, wide format to narrow web labels, digital toner presses to high-speed production inkjet presses, and workflow to color management, Fujifilm delivers a hands-on educational experience for print providers, all in one facility. A visit to the Technology Center includes one-on-one demonstrations allowing you to run your files on your substrates. We offer VIP tours, informative Technology Summits, and industry events. We can arrange a private tour for you and your company as well. With the most diverse product and solution portfolio in the graphics industry, Fujifilm can provide an insightful, close-up experience on how the latest innovative technologies can expand and grow your printing business. Your attendance at the President’s Conference is a testament to your leadership approach within your organization; seeking to network and learn from subject-matter experts and your peers is a key success factor in our ever-changing industry. If you are a current customer, thank you for your business. We don’t take our business relationship for granted. If you aren’t currently a Fujifilm customer, we would appreciate the opportunity better understand you, and your business,...

PIA Study Shows Quality Focus Strongly Contributes to Improved Company Performance Authored by: John Compton, Professor Emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology, and speaker at the 2017 Continuous Improvement Conference The 2016 Printing Industry Management Survey findings recently published by Printing Industries of America (PIA) provide compelling reasons to attend PIA’s 2017 Continuous Improvement Conference. The survey, which focused on studying effective management practices in the printing industry, was conducted jointly by PIA and the College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University.  Companies representing about 5% of the total PIA membership returned completed survey forms. Six different strategic management practices were studied, including: entrepreneurial orientation, strategic thinking, goal setting, quality focus, social capital, and analyzing financial ratios.  Each of the six practices was addressed with several different questions.  After all responses were received and tabulated, these six strategic management practices were ranked in effectiveness by examining their relationship with company performance.  Quality focus ranked a close second, only slightly behind the first place practice of analyzing financial ratios.  In the study, quality focus is seen as a company-wide initiative to create a culture focused on continual improvement of processes and products.  While several studies conducted by the American Society for Quality and the Association for Manufacturing Excellence have shown that a strong culture of process improvement and problem solving correlates with improved financial performance, those surveys have not specifically focused on printing companies.  This study provides evidence that it holds true for the printing industry as well. This is precisely the reason that PIA holds its annual Continuous Improvement Conference.  In 2017 the conference will be held April 2–5 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The conference brings together companies that are using quality focus as a strategic management practice, experts in the field of quality and continuous improvement, and companies that are just beginning to adopt improvement methods as a way of boosting performance.  Attendees include upper management, middle managers, and department supervisors from printing companies large and small. Interestingly, in the aforementioned study, the two strongest elements most closely connected to the practice of quality focus are emphasis on quality training and management by fact.  These two topics and other quality elements contained in the study will be addressed in many of the 25 conference sessions. For more information on the 2017 Continuous Improvement Conference, visit...

PIA Study Shows Quality Focus Strongly Contributes to Improved Company Performance Authored by: John Compton, Professor Emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology, and speaker at the 2017 Continuous Improvement Conference The 2016 Printing Industry Management Survey findings recently published by Printing Industries of America (PIA) provide compelling reasons to attend PIA’s 2017 Continuous Improvement Conference. The survey, which focused on studying effective management practices in the printing industry, was conducted jointly by PIA and the College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University.  Companies representing about 5% of the total PIA membership returned completed survey forms. Six different strategic management practices were studied, including: entrepreneurial orientation, strategic thinking, goal setting, quality focus, social capital, and analyzing financial ratios.  Each of the six practices was addressed with several different questions.  After all responses were received and tabulated, these six strategic management practices were ranked in effectiveness by examining their relationship with company performance.  Quality focus ranked a close second, only slightly behind the first place practice of analyzing financial ratios.  In the study, quality focus is seen as a company-wide initiative to create a culture focused on continual improvement of processes and products.  While several studies conducted by the American Society for Quality and the Association for Manufacturing Excellence have shown that a strong culture of process improvement and problem solving correlates with improved financial performance, those surveys have not specifically focused on printing companies.  This study provides evidence that it holds true for the printing industry as well. This is precisely the reason that PIA holds its annual Continuous Improvement Conference.  In 2017 the conference will be held April 2–5 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The conference brings together companies that are using quality focus as a strategic management practice, experts in the field of quality and continuous improvement, and companies that are just beginning to adopt improvement methods as a way of boosting performance.  Attendees include upper management, middle managers, and department supervisors from printing companies large and small. Interestingly, in the aforementioned study, the two strongest elements most closely connected to the practice of quality focus are emphasis on quality training and management by fact.  These two topics and other quality elements contained in the study will be addressed in many of the 25 conference sessions. For more information on the 2017 Continuous Improvement Conference, visit...

This blog post was submitted by Color 2016 sponsor CrossXColor. In many situations measurement data is not perfect for ICC profiling and produces low quality profiles. Erroneous measurements can result in problems in production, often wasting time that could have been saved by making corrections beforehand, including editing primaries, adjusting white point of paper, and compensating for visual effects of optical brighteners in proofing. Ultimately, the quality of ICC or DeviceLink profiles is only as good as the input data. In the course of setting up color management it is unavoidable that one or more of your color targets will contain redundant, non-matching, or just inaccurate data on the same test chart. Most color charts contain over 1000 test patches and inaccurate or erroneous information will likely be read. Measurement data from multiple charts may even need to be combined or averaged to provide a better result. A tool like ColorLogic’s ColorAnt can complement any profiling software in the market. ColorAnt is an easy-to use tool that corrects and optimizes measurement data. The features include the ability to edit primary colors, substrate color, and recalculate measurement data with the use of full-sized test charts.   Please explore our full range of high-end color management software solutions online at...

This blog post was submitted by Color 2016 sponsor CrossXColor. In many situations measurement data is not perfect for ICC profiling and produces low quality profiles. Erroneous measurements can result in problems in production, often wasting time that could have been saved by making corrections beforehand, including editing primaries, adjusting white point of paper, and compensating for visual effects of optical brighteners in proofing. Ultimately, the quality of ICC or DeviceLink profiles is only as good as the input data. In the course of setting up color management it is unavoidable that one or more of your color targets will contain redundant, non-matching, or just inaccurate data on the same test chart. Most color charts contain over 1000 test patches and inaccurate or erroneous information will likely be read. Measurement data from multiple charts may even need to be combined or averaged to provide a better result. A tool like ColorLogic’s ColorAnt can complement any profiling software in the market. ColorAnt is an easy-to use tool that corrects and optimizes measurement data. The features include the ability to edit primary colors, substrate color, and recalculate measurement data with the use of full-sized test charts.   Please explore our full range of high-end color management software solutions online at...