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  When you operate on your own, plunging into financial pitfalls is all too easy. That’s why conversing with a group committed to industry financial success is paramount for a strong business. Year after year, PIFE members benefit from exceptional opportunities afforded to them. During meetings, they explore potential investments to grow their business, find new ways to save money, and gain insight into the current marketplace. “New participants are always amazed at how open and honest the discussions can be. I have left every peer exchange session with at least one great idea to try back at my company,” said Terrie Rubac, Heritage Press. Next year, PIFE will once again provide an excellent opportunity for collaboration. At the 2016 President’s Conference, PIFE professionals will meet to discuss current economic trends and strategies for effective financial planning. However, rather than planning an isolated event, the new and improved PIFE gathering will put CFOs and other financial executives right next to CEOs and other critical profit leaders in the graphic communication industry. At the 2016 President’s Conference, business owners, presidents, CEOs, and their immediate executive management teams will learn about new and improved leadership skills and unlock essential business strategy transformation methods. The event kicks off with a golf tournament and bocce tournament followed by three days of leadership-focused sessions and networking opportunities. This is your opportunity to unite with your CEO and bring your business the extra boost it needs to succeed in the current marketplace. Although there will be no specific PIFE Conference, finance executives can still expect the utmost in educational, networking, and collaborative opportunities. You’ll hear from knowledgeable industry speakers as they examine issues such as strategic planning, projection models, economic trends, and much more! Not to mention, you can relax with exciting networking opportunities where you’ll rub elbows with all the other “who’s who” in print. Because we’re all money people, we all love a good discount. Right now, you can save a significant amount on the registration price when two or more people from the same company sign up for the 2016 President’s Conference. Don’t miss your chance to collaborate and learn from the best of the best in print. Find out more by visiting...

  When you operate on your own, plunging into financial pitfalls is all too easy. That’s why conversing with a group committed to industry financial success is paramount for a strong business. Year after year, PIFE members benefit from exceptional opportunities afforded to them. During meetings, they explore potential investments to grow their business, find new ways to save money, and gain insight into the current marketplace. “New participants are always amazed at how open and honest the discussions can be. I have left every peer exchange session with at least one great idea to try back at my company,” said Terrie Rubac, Heritage Press. Next year, PIFE will once again provide an excellent opportunity for collaboration. At the 2016 President’s Conference, PIFE professionals will meet to discuss current economic trends and strategies for effective financial planning. However, rather than planning an isolated event, the new and improved PIFE gathering will put CFOs and other financial executives right next to CEOs and other critical profit leaders in the graphic communication industry. At the 2016 President’s Conference, business owners, presidents, CEOs, and their immediate executive management teams will learn about new and improved leadership skills and unlock essential business strategy transformation methods. The event kicks off with a golf tournament and bocce tournament followed by three days of leadership-focused sessions and networking opportunities. This is your opportunity to unite with your CEO and bring your business the extra boost it needs to succeed in the current marketplace. Although there will be no specific PIFE Conference, finance executives can still expect the utmost in educational, networking, and collaborative opportunities. You’ll hear from knowledgeable industry speakers as they examine issues such as strategic planning, projection models, economic trends, and much more! Not to mention, you can relax with exciting networking opportunities where you’ll rub elbows with all the other “who’s who” in print. Because we’re all money people, we all love a good discount. Right now, you can save a significant amount on the registration price when two or more people from the same company sign up for the 2016 President’s Conference. Don’t miss your chance to collaborate and learn from the best of the best in print. Find out more by visiting...

The following post was submitted by Color 2015 sponsor, X-Rite Pantone.  Author: Mark Gundlach, Solutions Architect, X-Rite Pantone   In a print and packaging workflow, there are many places where color can go wrong. However, implementing good process control makes it possible to achieve predictable, repeatable color. Fine-tuning your print workflow is not as hard as you may think, and the increasing availability of affordable tools is making it easier than ever. Today we’ll look at the top five places where printers and converters can achieve stability to save time and money, improve quality, and increase the possibility of repeat business.  1.   Set up a proper color-managed workflow. From specification through production to final inspection, your color must stay true. But when each device you use to capture and reproduce color uses slightly different RBG or CMYK formulas, it’s not always an easy task. Small errors along the way can lead to output that fails to meet the customer’s expectations with rejects and rework. The best way to ensure that each of your devices is sharing accurate color information is to use the proper hardware and software to set up a color-managed workflow. First, you need to confirm that your devices are all capable of achieving repeatable, accurate color. For instance, if your press can’t produce consistent color from day to day, then there’s not much color management can do to help. Next, calibrate and optimize each device to achieve the best color reproduction possible. Achieving proper color on press is a combination of the substrates, proper inks, calibrated plates, and press settings that produce the right solid ink colors and tint/tone values. This is all part of the “fingerprinting” process. You will need ICC profiles to produce proofs that match your press. You can also use ICC profiles for converting your files so the printed work better matches the original file. And in some cases you may want to make a custom ICC profile of the press, or calibrate the press to match a print standard like SWOP® or GRACoL®, then use the print standard profile for proofing or converting your files. Above: Regularly calibrating and profiling your devices will ensure they continue to provide accurate and repeatable color. 2.   Specify your colors digitally. Designers bring passion to the colors they specify, but it’s up to printers and converters to make those visions a reality. While paper-based Pantone®Guides are valuable for communicating and evaluating color, factors such as age, environmental conditions, and wear and tear make them susceptible to inaccuracies. They are guides, not standards. Pantone PLUS libraries are included with most graphic applications. These libraries have the standard digital color values, which the books are...

The following post was submitted by Color 2015 sponsor, X-Rite Pantone.  Author: Mark Gundlach, Solutions Architect, X-Rite Pantone   In a print and packaging workflow, there are many places where color can go wrong. However, implementing good process control makes it possible to achieve predictable, repeatable color. Fine-tuning your print workflow is not as hard as you may think, and the increasing availability of affordable tools is making it easier than ever. Today we’ll look at the top five places where printers and converters can achieve stability to save time and money, improve quality, and increase the possibility of repeat business.  1.   Set up a proper color-managed workflow. From specification through production to final inspection, your color must stay true. But when each device you use to capture and reproduce color uses slightly different RBG or CMYK formulas, it’s not always an easy task. Small errors along the way can lead to output that fails to meet the customer’s expectations with rejects and rework. The best way to ensure that each of your devices is sharing accurate color information is to use the proper hardware and software to set up a color-managed workflow. First, you need to confirm that your devices are all capable of achieving repeatable, accurate color. For instance, if your press can’t produce consistent color from day to day, then there’s not much color management can do to help. Next, calibrate and optimize each device to achieve the best color reproduction possible. Achieving proper color on press is a combination of the substrates, proper inks, calibrated plates, and press settings that produce the right solid ink colors and tint/tone values. This is all part of the “fingerprinting” process. You will need ICC profiles to produce proofs that match your press. You can also use ICC profiles for converting your files so the printed work better matches the original file. And in some cases you may want to make a custom ICC profile of the press, or calibrate the press to match a print standard like SWOP® or GRACoL®, then use the print standard profile for proofing or converting your files. Above: Regularly calibrating and profiling your devices will ensure they continue to provide accurate and repeatable color. 2.   Specify your colors digitally. Designers bring passion to the colors they specify, but it’s up to printers and converters to make those visions a reality. While paper-based Pantone®Guides are valuable for communicating and evaluating color, factors such as age, environmental conditions, and wear and tear make them susceptible to inaccuracies. They are guides, not standards. Pantone PLUS libraries are included with most graphic applications. These libraries have the standard digital color values, which the books are...

The following post was submitted by Color 2015 sponsor, GTI Graphic Technology, Inc. 1.      Tell us about GTI? GTI was founded in 1975 and is the leading manufacturer of tight tolerance lighting systems for critical color viewing and color matching assessment. We are based in Newburgh, NY, and we also have sales offices in Germany and the United Kingdom. Watch Company Overview Video 2.     What makes GTI unique? There are a lot of things that make us unique, all of them good. – We are 100% dedicated to the lighting business. All of our products are designed to assist with the visual appraisal of color or color-critical lighting applications. – All of our products are manufactured at our headquarters in Newburgh, NY. – Our people. We have a highly skilled and dedicated team that takes a customer-first approach. – Our ability to solve customer problems. Because of our technical expertise and the fact that we do all of our own design and manufacturing, we are able to offer a wide range of color viewing booths. We also offer customized solutions that include very large lighting systems for final product inspection, unique desktop systems, and everything in between. – Our attention to detail. An in-house spectroradiometric laboratory and a 100% measurement and verification production process guarantees accuracy and precision is built into all products.Above: Nick Lena, GTI’s Director of Color Technology, uses a spectroradiometer to confirm a viewing station’s light quality is industry compliant. 3.      Who is GTI’s typical customer?Anyone who is concerned with the color quality of the work they are producing. Our customers range from independent photographers who purchase a small desktop viewer to major brands that we have put together complete color harmony rooms for. 4.     Where do you see growth occurring for GTI? As you know, GTI grew up with a focus in the graphic arts and photographic industries. This continues to be a primary focus for us, and we’re still seeing growth in the packaging sector. We’ve used this knowledge and expertise to expand into non-imaging markets such as paint and coatings, plastics, textiles, food, and automotive. I see these industrial markets as a strong growth opportunity for us in the future. 5.      What do you envision for GTI over the next five years? We will continue to focus on the lighting business—improving our products and developing new ones that fit the market’s changing requirements. I also anticipate further incorporation of LED technology into the product line. Currently we use LED to simulate certain retail environments, but as the technology advances, we believe it can become a suitable source to properly simulate daylight. We are carefully monitoring its progress.Above: GTI’s ColorMatcher® Series includes five...