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 optimize their equipment. I enjoy my work here at Mohawk and respect how the company has expanded over the last 80 years and expanded their brand around digital printers. Before Mohawk, I was with Canon USA in Digital Equipment Product Marketing 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 use their equipment more efficiently. 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, so I became more aware of different companies and jobs, and they encouraged me to look at all the opportunities. Although I studied Graphic Media Publishing at RIT, I...

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,...

This is a guest blog post from John Conley, Vice President Commercial Print and Publishing at Xerox Corporation. For more information about the National Buying Programs available to members through Printing Industries of America affiliates, visit www.printing.org/buyingpower. We are all faced with having to deal with the fast pace of change brought about by advances in technology.  This is particularly true in the graphic arts, where we see content providers, equipment vendors, and service suppliers making changes to their product lines and service offerings and developing or using new technology.  In the past only large companies had the scale and bandwidth to take advantage of these changes, but organizations like Printing Industries of America have helped to bring the  economic advantages of a large printer to small- and medium-size print service providers through programs like the Printing Industries of America National Buying Program with Xerox. The Xerox Buying Program is one of the tools that Printing Industries of America provides to its members which allow print service providers (PSPs) and marketing service providers (MSPs) to compete with any size organization when it comes to acquiring equipment and services at highly competitive prices. The power of Xerox comes to your doorstep at equipment pricing levels that allow you to compete effectively anywhere in the market. This is extremely important as PSPs and MSPs are able to compete outside of their geographies thanks to the expanded branding opportunities that are created by strong Web-to-print solutions. In addition to competitive equipment prices that members through Printing Industries of America receive with the program, users also gain access to all of the tools and services that are a part of the Xerox Go to Market Value proposition—which is focused on creating more value, productivity, and profitability for PSPs and MSPs. Your Xerox sales and service teams can help you with all elements of your business from new equipment, to workflow, to unique materials, to fresh ideas for new capabilities working with valued partners and subsidiaries like XMpie. Xerox and Printing Industries of America have been working together successfully for more than 10 years. The Xerox Buying Program is a key value-added service that is focused on keeping you competitive in the market while at the same time helping to strengthen the programs and services that Printing Industries of America and its Affiliates bring to its members.  It is a win-win for everyone. Talk to your affiliate director, Xerox sales representative, or your peers in your affiliate who are already Xerox customers. Start benefiting from the power of the Printing Industries of America National Buying Program with Xerox. Learn more at...

This is a guest blog post from John Conley, Vice President Commercial Print and Publishing at Xerox Corporation. For more information about the National Buying Programs available to members through Printing Industries of America affiliates, visit www.printing.org/buyingpower. We are all faced with having to deal with the fast pace of change brought about by advances in technology.  This is particularly true in the graphic arts, where we see content providers, equipment vendors, and service suppliers making changes to their product lines and service offerings and developing or using new technology.  In the past only large companies had the scale and bandwidth to take advantage of these changes, but organizations like Printing Industries of America have helped to bring the  economic advantages of a large printer to small- and medium-size print service providers through programs like the Printing Industries of America National Buying Program with Xerox. The Xerox Buying Program is one of the tools that Printing Industries of America provides to its members which allow print service providers (PSPs) and marketing service providers (MSPs) to compete with any size organization when it comes to acquiring equipment and services at highly competitive prices. The power of Xerox comes to your doorstep at equipment pricing levels that allow you to compete effectively anywhere in the market. This is extremely important as PSPs and MSPs are able to compete outside of their geographies thanks to the expanded branding opportunities that are created by strong Web-to-print solutions. In addition to competitive equipment prices that members through Printing Industries of America receive with the program, users also gain access to all of the tools and services that are a part of the Xerox Go to Market Value proposition—which is focused on creating more value, productivity, and profitability for PSPs and MSPs. Your Xerox sales and service teams can help you with all elements of your business from new equipment, to workflow, to unique materials, to fresh ideas for new capabilities working with valued partners and subsidiaries like XMpie. Xerox and Printing Industries of America have been working together successfully for more than 10 years. The Xerox Buying Program is a key value-added service that is focused on keeping you competitive in the market while at the same time helping to strengthen the programs and services that Printing Industries of America and its Affiliates bring to its members.  It is a win-win for everyone. Talk to your affiliate director, Xerox sales representative, or your peers in your affiliate who are already Xerox customers. Start benefiting from the power of the Printing Industries of America National Buying Program with Xerox. Learn more at...

We look at print differently today. Each piece produced is valuable, and attention to detail is critical. You can say that it transcends the physical product and becomes a greater symbol of what our industry is capable of achieving.   This makes the Premier Print Awards  competition even more pertinent. It celebrates outstanding achievements and recognizes companies’ work on a world stage. The chances that it offers companies, both large and small, from every corner of the earth, to showcase their finest printed pieces have become the annual target for many businesses. If you are like many printing companies, you have produced some award-worthy printed pieces. How can your company gain recognition? We spoke with two previous winning companies, Offset Alpine Printing and Bolger Vision Beyond Print, about how they found success. Show Your Customers the Value of Your Work Showcase the value of print like Dik Bolger, Chief Executive Officer, Bolger Vision Beyond Print, who says they, “continually speak out on the ‘Value of Print’ in today’s market, and the Benny certainly recognizes that value to our clients.” Bolger, located in the Midwest with 200 employees, earned two Best of Category awards in 2012. Your clients, as well as your peers, recognize the significance of a Premier Print Award. Entering the competition tells them that the work you produce has greater meaning beyond its intended use. Garth Hackett, General Manager, Sales, Offset Alpine Printing, states that they produced their winning piece to, “demonstrate that print as a medium is still relevant in an increasingly online world.” Showing outstanding printed pieces in this competition signifies that, “through the use of creative ideas, print can create a tactile and effective product of real and tangible value.” Recognize Your Team for Their Great Efforts They say that it takes a village—well, that stands true for print production, too. These companies instill pride in your dedicated staff members by gaining recognition for their combined efforts. “We are very proud of this outstanding achievement,” says Mr. Hackett, who’s team won multiple awards. “We feel it’s a reward for the hard work and commitment shown by our dedicated and talented team of staff and suppliers.” Mr. Hackett’s team, based in Australia, won three Best of Category awards in 2011. Additionally that year, the company of 350 won top honours for Best of Show, the highest award in the competition. Showcase Your Commitment in Each and Every Product Take a closer look at all of the work you have produced. “A large segment of the work we produce at Bolger involves exceptional quality,” Mr. Bolger states, “and winning a Benny demonstrates to our customers and prospects the commitment we have made in providing the very...

We know that a printing organization needs far much more to operate successfully than just printing equipment. It also needs people with creative, business-savvy minds to sell the products. You may not know that Printing Industries of America offers many resources, like great publications, that go beyond technical printing aspects. A number of these resources are tailored specifically toward Sales and Marketing professionals to help integrate print and new media and grow their profit potential. If you have not discovered the group yet, look to Sales and Marketing Executives (S&ME). Through S&ME, you will find plenty of resources to promote, connect, and learn.   Join our Updated Networking Listserv Will my idea sell? If you have ever wanted to pick some of the creative minds out there, join the Sales and Marketing Executive listserv. We have revamped the system, so it is easier to network with peers. Just send an email to telserv2@lists.printing.org with the body: Subscribe sme@lists.printing.org. Learn More about the Print-New Media Mix Are you using QR codes to reach out to your customers yet? What about augmented reality, email marketing, or creating effective company websites? Our Publications department is flooded with new titles and requests from marketers for more on the hottest marketing trends to integrate print and digital media. Here are the top five titles we wanted to highlight for you. 1.      Value of Print Flip-Book Numbers don’t lie. The Flip-Book provides a wealth of useful facts and statistics to promote the truth about print’s effectiveness and sustainability. As a convenient counterpart to the Flip-Book, we’ve recently released the Value of Print Mobile App that rounds out the campaign media mix. The app enables access to the most current, searchable data to help you promote the value of print—all at the touch of a button! Visit www.printing.org/valueofprint to learn more. 2.      Best Practices for QR and Other 2D Mobile Barcodes (Brandable PDF)   Find out how and when to use QR and other 2D mobile barcodes as part of your marketing campaign. Start by understanding your audience, what motivates them, and your campaign goals. 3.      Marketing4Digital Full Set   Do you have a strong understanding of what your business and your clients need to be successful? The vertical reports in this set give digital and conventional printers the information and tools they need to develop new business within 24 vertical segments. 4.      PURLs for Profit (PDF)   Successfully combine direct mail and email campaigns to increase your campaign’s effectiveness. Read best PURL practices and valuable user case studies. 5.      Win Top-of-Mind Positioning   Are you at the top of your customer’s mind? In this relationship-based business, learn how to create successful sales and marketing efforts. Win...