The PPLUS Global Logistics Team is excited to be a part of the Printing Industries of America Buying Program. We have seen great success in the first year of the program and enjoyed the opportunity to attend PRINT 13 last fall to meet current customers and gain many new contacts. In the new year, we have added many new carriers to our database. We are adding new carriers on a daily basis at all locations across the country with enhanced service, added coverage, and aggressively reduced rates. To strengthen the relationship with Printing Industries of America and its affiliates, the PPLUS Team has negotiated for no rate increase this year, which is extremely beneficial to you as members and frequent shippers.         At the end of last year, our newly branded Print Freight website, www.printfreight.com, was finalized and created specifically for our printing customers such as yourselves. If you have not yet taken the opportunity to do so, take a look at the newly updated site. If you are not yet a part of our Buying Program, you can use the login information below to log in and get rate quotes on your shipments in order to take a look at what we have to offer: www.printfreight.com Username: PIAdemo Password: password1 In addition, be sure to follow us Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest news and updates specific to transportation and logistics in the printing industry. If you’re interested in learning more or would like to become a part of this program, contact us directly via phone at 636-946-7587 or send an email to Kasey Lucas at Kasey@pplusglobal.com. We look forward to working with you and further serving the printing...

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...

The following blog post has been contributed by Patrick Sweeney, President, Caliper. Leadership is constantly evolving, whether it’s how to strategically lead a business into the future or how to innovate in a digital world that is changing by the second. But there is one facet of leadership that remains the same—the importance of being inspirational. Employees are what drive a company forward, and if they aren’t inspired or they don’t feel motivated by their leadership, both leaders and their companies will ultimately miss the mark. An inspirational leader starts by listening, then engaging, and then developing their people. Listen Listening is the key to truly connecting with employees. And from listening, trust develops. Leaders have to take a moment to step outside their own roles and understand what it is that motivates their top performers, what ideas they can share, and how effectively they function with their teams. Top performers provide key information about the rest of the organization. Successful leaders are able to call on their most valuable employees in middle management, for example, to help them get clarity on the big picture. They are the ones who can walk alongside leaders and help them understand the inner workings of the rest of the organization. So without them, many leaders would be lost—as it is nearly impossible for leaders to spend time with every individual in the company. Engage A study conducted by Society for Human Resource Management indicates that employees are 87 percent less likely to leave a company than those who are disengaged. In addition, further studies show that only 26 percent of leaders today are creating an engaging environment for their people. Employee engagement begins with leaders showing they value their people and they are willing to spend time and resources on helping them capitalize on their strengths. Leaders should make it a priority to connect with their key people, build strengths around them, and engage them to exceed expectations. And most important, they must make sure that each of their top performers knows they are truly valued. So taking the time to connect with key people in the organization can manifest itself as: Setting aside weekly or biweekly meetings with managers in the organization. Taking the time to understand the manager’s and their team’s workload, and any concerns that might exist. Reinforcing a job well done, while providing constructive feedback on growth opportunities. In order to keep your employees engaged, you must make a solid commitment to developing their potential. As a result, business outcomes can become more predictable, and you can ensure you retain more top performers. Develop Development can take the form of personalized coaching, team building, or management training—or a...

The following blog post has been contributed by Patrick Sweeney, President, Caliper. Leadership is constantly evolving, whether it’s how to strategically lead a business into the future or how to innovate in a digital world that is changing by the second. But there is one facet of leadership that remains the same—the importance of being inspirational. Employees are what drive a company forward, and if they aren’t inspired or they don’t feel motivated by their leadership, both leaders and their companies will ultimately miss the mark. An inspirational leader starts by listening, then engaging, and then developing their people. Listen Listening is the key to truly connecting with employees. And from listening, trust develops. Leaders have to take a moment to step outside their own roles and understand what it is that motivates their top performers, what ideas they can share, and how effectively they function with their teams. Top performers provide key information about the rest of the organization. Successful leaders are able to call on their most valuable employees in middle management, for example, to help them get clarity on the big picture. They are the ones who can walk alongside leaders and help them understand the inner workings of the rest of the organization. So without them, many leaders would be lost—as it is nearly impossible for leaders to spend time with every individual in the company. Engage A study conducted by Society for Human Resource Management indicates that employees are 87 percent less likely to leave a company than those who are disengaged. In addition, further studies show that only 26 percent of leaders today are creating an engaging environment for their people. Employee engagement begins with leaders showing they value their people and they are willing to spend time and resources on helping them capitalize on their strengths. Leaders should make it a priority to connect with their key people, build strengths around them, and engage them to exceed expectations. And most important, they must make sure that each of their top performers knows they are truly valued. So taking the time to connect with key people in the organization can manifest itself as: Setting aside weekly or biweekly meetings with managers in the organization. Taking the time to understand the manager’s and their team’s workload, and any concerns that might exist. Reinforcing a job well done, while providing constructive feedback on growth opportunities. In order to keep your employees engaged, you must make a solid commitment to developing their potential. As a result, business outcomes can become more predictable, and you can ensure you retain more top performers. Develop Development can take the form of personalized coaching, team building, or management training—or a...

It’s a positive sight to see all of the 2013-14 Print and Graphic Scholarship (PGSF) recipients, and we wish them the best of luck in their education and future careers! Did you know that since 1956 recipients like them have been making significant impacts as industry professionals? And PGSF is still pushing forward to give more print and graphic arts students an education upon which they can build thriving careers. We caught up with Joseph Schember of Mohawk Paper, a former PGSF Scholarship recipient who’s just joined the new PGSF Board of Directors. Here he talks about his experience as a student recipient and now as an accomplished industry professional. Joe was excited to share his story and eager to leverage his new role as a board member to give back to PGSF, which he credits as the platform for his success. From where he sits in his big office at Mohawk today, he still expresses his gratitude to PGSF and its drive to help students go from the classroom to the pressroom, boardroom, or wherever opportunity lies. Q: Tell us about your current work in the graphic arts industry and what you’ve accomplished since graduation. Joseph Schember: I have been with Mohawk Paper for the last 2½ years as Specialty Digital Product Manager. I assess our clients’ needs and how we can help them make high-value products using their digital equipment by using premium substrates. I enjoy my work here at Mohawk and respect how the company has expanded over the last 80 years and expanded their brand around products for the rapidly growing digital printing market. Before Mohawk, I was with Canon USA doing product marketing of the Canon Color imagePRESS family of digital presses after graduating from Rochester Institute of Technology. Working with two different suppliers allowed me to see the market as a whole—while with Canon, I would help printers by selling them needed equipment; now with Mohawk, I’m talking to those same printers, but this time I’m showing them ways to leverage their digital printing equipment to produce premium customer applications on high-value substrates. It’s given me a round perspective of their operations and how they work together—finding out where the opportunities are for them to make money. Q: How did PGSF support your career? JS: PGSF supplies financial benefits, of course, but there are many other ways they’ve helped me get to where I am. I got involved in the industry immediately through networking. We (PGSF Scholarship recipients) are encouraged to write a letter to a different donor or sponsor for each year we are in the scholarship program updating them on what we’re learning. These contacts are from all across the industry,...