6 Ways to Drive Your Postpress Company to Greater Profits
The postpress industry has seen plenty of transformation in recent years. Lucky for you that means plenty more opportunities for profit. But the problem isn’t knowing where you want your business to go, it’s how you’re going to get it there. Here are some of the tricks you can employ when you’re reaching for those higher profits. 1. Go Lean Think about how you get ready each morning. Most of us have a system: 1) Coffee, 2) Get dressed, 3) Another coffee, and so on. Your system works. It gets you to your goal of being out the door on time (at least most days) and where you need to be.Now you probably didn’t spend the time analyzing your process and developing this strategic system that allows you to reach your goal using the least time and materials. But you get the picture. Postpress companies in particular, in a fast-growing, hyper-competitive market, can benefit from Lean improvements. There are countless resources available on how to develop a Lean strategy. PIA offers Web-based courses on Lean through the Integrated Learning Center in addition to several professional articles on the topic. 2. Automate where you can Another method to achieve more efficient operations is employing automation. Your customers are demanding quicker turnaround times for their binding, finishing, and other postpress jobs, and many operations are finding it difficult to keep up. New technology has increased the efficiency of automated finishing equipment in recent years. In addition to faster turnaround times, another benefit of automation is more user-friendly equipment. This means less need for highly skilled operators and more profits you can put toward your bottom line. 3. Mind your customers…Your goal should be to nurture your existing customer base while also growing it. Focusing on current customers allows you to develop repeat clients and ultimately brand ambassadors who will happily promote your company via social media, word of mouth, etc. On the flip side, bad customer service can lead to negative, damaging feedback for your company. According to sales consultant, Leslie Groene, “96% of unhappy customers do not complain, they just stop doing business with you. 91% of those who don’t complain will share the negative story with at least 9 other people, and 13% will tell more than 20 other people about their experience.” Among the best practices for attaining new customers are: Targeting: Begin by determine who your target customer is—what problems do they have and how can your company fix them? Communication: Get out in front of your customers, whether face to face or through email, direct mail, or other marketing platforms, and show them how you can provide them with solutions. Inbound marketing: Apply lead-generating, inbound marketing tactics such as automated marketing, content marketing, and social media marketing to bring clients to your business. In fact, social media has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing. 4. …and your employees One of the most critical “customers” that many companies overlook is the employee. What’s the cost of a disengaged employee? Not only do they fail to create a positive experience for your external customers, disengaged employees also cost the U.S. economy $350 billion a year in productivity loss. Think about that number for a moment. The losses each business can accrue can be catastrophic, especially for a small...
read morePIA Booth Highlights 2015 InterTech Technology Awards Recipients
Who are the next industry game changers? Jim Workman, assistant vice president, Center for Technology and Research, tells you where you can find complete details on this year’s InterTech Award recipients. Attendees visiting Printing Industries of America’s booth #3802 at GRAPH EXPO 15 will be able to learn more about the ten technologies receiving the prestigious 2015 InterTech™ Technology Award. Read the press release announcing the 2015 InterTech Technology Awards here. The “Forecast Part 2, Midyear Update” issue of Printing Industries of America: The Magazine will be distributed at the booth and devotes 34 pages to the innovative technologies nominated and selected for an InterTech Award. You’ll find: • Complete technology descriptions of all 2015 InterTech Award recipients• Exclusive judge’s comments on the technology’s key benefits• Images of each technology How we define “Innovative”The InterTech competition has been conducted annually since 1978 by Printing Industries of America as a service to the industry. Each entry is judged against specific criteria. First and foremost, the technology must be truly innovative—not just an evolutionary improvement on an existing product—and expected to have a significant influence on the graphic communications industry. Further, it needs to enable printers to operate much more efficiently or provide new products or services and offer a clear return on investment. Finally, it must be commercially available, yet not be in widespread use. Predictions for the futureThis year the independent panel of judges deliberated over technology nominations ranging from presses and finishing equipment to solutions to automate workflow and even determine the carbon footprint of print projects. This year’s awards show great developments in high speed web and sheetfed color inkjet presses, digital finishing equipment, use of metallic foil, patterning for optimal flexo ink laydown, and a portable spectrophotometer that can scan color bars. Also honored were solutions that facilitate cross-media marketing campaigns, use a new standard to define and communicate brand colors, and simplify the integration of production and business processes. “The judges spend hours evaluating each technology submission and then come together to vigorously debate the ‘breakthrough’ nature and business merits of each technology,” said Dr. Mark Bohan, vice president, Technology and Research, Printing Industries of America. “Their judgments have proven to be a realistic predictor of a technology’s future success. Our research shows more than 80% of the technologies recognized in the past have experienced marketplace acceptance.” The ten technologies selected to receive the 2015 InterTech Technology Award (alphabetical by company): Océ VarioPrint i300Canon U.S.A., Inc. ORIS CxF CGS Publishing Technologies International LLC KODAK PROSPER 6000 PressesKodak NX advantage, KODAK FLEXCEL NX SystemKodak EFI DirectSmile Cross MediaElectronics for Imaging, Inc. Automation Engine Connect Esko Prinect Media ManagerHeidelberg Highcon Euclid Digital Finishing TechnologyHighcon Systems Ltd. MGI iFOILMGI X-Rite eXact with Scan OptionX-Rite Plan on stopping by PIA booth #3802 at GRAPH EXPO 15, September 13-16 in Chicago, to learn more about the technologies expected to have a significant impact on the industry’s...
read morePIA Booth Highlights 2015 InterTech Technology Awards Recipients
Who are the next industry game changers? Jim Workman, assistant vice president, Center for Technology and Research, tells you where you can find complete details on this year’s InterTech Award recipients. Attendees visiting Printing Industries of America’s booth #3802 at GRAPH EXPO 15 will be able to learn more about the ten technologies receiving the prestigious 2015 InterTech™ Technology Award. Read the press release announcing the 2015 InterTech Technology Awards here. The “Forecast Part 2, Midyear Update” issue of Printing Industries of America: The Magazine will be distributed at the booth and devotes 34 pages to the innovative technologies nominated and selected for an InterTech Award. You’ll find: • Complete technology descriptions of all 2015 InterTech Award recipients• Exclusive judge’s comments on the technology’s key benefits• Images of each technology How we define “Innovative”The InterTech competition has been conducted annually since 1978 by Printing Industries of America as a service to the industry. Each entry is judged against specific criteria. First and foremost, the technology must be truly innovative—not just an evolutionary improvement on an existing product—and expected to have a significant influence on the graphic communications industry. Further, it needs to enable printers to operate much more efficiently or provide new products or services and offer a clear return on investment. Finally, it must be commercially available, yet not be in widespread use. Predictions for the futureThis year the independent panel of judges deliberated over technology nominations ranging from presses and finishing equipment to solutions to automate workflow and even determine the carbon footprint of print projects. This year’s awards show great developments in high speed web and sheetfed color inkjet presses, digital finishing equipment, use of metallic foil, patterning for optimal flexo ink laydown, and a portable spectrophotometer that can scan color bars. Also honored were solutions that facilitate cross-media marketing campaigns, use a new standard to define and communicate brand colors, and simplify the integration of production and business processes. “The judges spend hours evaluating each technology submission and then come together to vigorously debate the ‘breakthrough’ nature and business merits of each technology,” said Dr. Mark Bohan, vice president, Technology and Research, Printing Industries of America. “Their judgments have proven to be a realistic predictor of a technology’s future success. Our research shows more than 80% of the technologies recognized in the past have experienced marketplace acceptance.” The ten technologies selected to receive the 2015 InterTech Technology Award (alphabetical by company): Océ VarioPrint i300Canon U.S.A., Inc. ORIS CxF CGS Publishing Technologies International LLC KODAK PROSPER 6000 PressesKodak NX advantage, KODAK FLEXCEL NX SystemKodak EFI DirectSmile Cross MediaElectronics for Imaging, Inc. Automation Engine Connect Esko Prinect Media ManagerHeidelberg Highcon Euclid Digital Finishing TechnologyHighcon Systems Ltd. MGI iFOILMGI X-Rite eXact with Scan OptionX-Rite Plan on stopping by PIA booth #3802 at GRAPH EXPO 15, September 13-16 in Chicago, to learn more about the technologies expected to have a significant impact on the industry’s...
read moreTop Resources and Questions on “How Life Unfolds”
Letters to loved ones overseas, a box of your favorite treats, tickets to the big game—what do these all have in common? They’re a few of the paper and packaging products that bring tangible, memorable substance to our lives. And they’re the subject of a new national public awareness campaign supporting the value of print, Paper and Packaging—How Life UnfoldsTM. Released July 8 by the Paper and Packaging Board (P+PB), the campaign follows the model of other popular industry check-offs like “Got Milk?,” “Pork. The Other White Meat,” and “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner,” which are produced through government-sanctioned fees collected from the respective industries. Print, commercial spots, Web, and social media make up the integrated marketing mix designed by campaign creators, Cramer-Krasselt. The How Life Unfolds campaign celebrates paper and packaging products through relatable and sometimes emotional storytelling. Messaging focuses on the lasting experiences paper and packaging help us create every day in ways we may not even realize. But the purpose of the campaign is not just to tug at our heartstrings. It also shows, like PIA’s Value of Print campaign, that these products are a viable part our market and an environmentally friendly resource. “We think it’s important for us to get the message out about the sustainability of paper, the importance of paper within our overall economy, and ultimately how paper can drive value for our customers,” said Vice President, Marketing Services and eComerce, Verso, Aaron Haas in a video from P+PB. Tips and Resources from How Life Unfolds To help you spread the value of print to your customers, we found lots of great resources on the How Life Unfolds campaign website. It includes articles, reports, videos, and other free tools. Some of our picks include: Back-to-School Report: How Paper Gives You a Leg Up on Learning Infographic: The Many Lives of Paper 100 Unconventional Reasons to Send a Card “Letters to Dad” How Life Unfolds YouTube Channel What does It Mean for the Industry? The $20 million ad campaign is planned to run for six months. It’s too soon to say if it will have the same effect on consumers’ pocket books as it does on their emotions—or if the fitting tagline will have the pop-culture impact that still has us saying, “Got Milk?” (Just nod if you’ve ever said that line with milk on our upper lip.) But we can say that this campaign is a long-awaited step in the right direction, printing a relatable face on the print and packaging industry that has come under fire in recent years for being environmentally damaging and obsolete. Matthew Van Vleet, Vice President, Public Affairs and Government Relations, Clearwater Paper Organization said, “[The campaign] is about sharing with the general public what we do and how we supply the products that everyone in the country uses every day.” Results cannot yet be measured, as Mary Anne Hansan, executive director of P&PB, told WhatTheyThink.com, but they are confident in the campaign’s success. “Paper & Packaging – How Life Unfolds” is launching with the same depth of research, rigor of testing, and clarity of purpose as any of those projects, it has as much “insurance” for success as it’s possible to give a campaign of this kind.” Tell us your opinion. What effects, if any, do...
read moreTop Resources and Questions on “How Life Unfolds”
Letters to loved ones overseas, a box of your favorite treats, tickets to the big game—what do these all have in common? They’re a few of the paper and packaging products that bring tangible, memorable substance to our lives. And they’re the subject of a new national public awareness campaign supporting the value of print, Paper and Packaging—How Life UnfoldsTM. Released July 8 by the Paper and Packaging Board (P+PB), the campaign follows the model of other popular industry check-offs like “Got Milk?,” “Pork. The Other White Meat,” and “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner,” which are produced through government-sanctioned fees collected from the respective industries. Print, commercial spots, Web, and social media make up the integrated marketing mix designed by campaign creators, Cramer-Krasselt. The How Life Unfolds campaign celebrates paper and packaging products through relatable and sometimes emotional storytelling. Messaging focuses on the lasting experiences paper and packaging help us create every day in ways we may not even realize. But the purpose of the campaign is not just to tug at our heartstrings. It also shows, like PIA’s Value of Print campaign, that these products are a viable part our market and an environmentally friendly resource. “We think it’s important for us to get the message out about the sustainability of paper, the importance of paper within our overall economy, and ultimately how paper can drive value for our customers,” said Vice President, Marketing Services and eComerce, Verso, Aaron Haas in a video from P+PB. Tips and Resources from How Life Unfolds To help you spread the value of print to your customers, we found lots of great resources on the How Life Unfolds campaign website. It includes articles, reports, videos, and other free tools. Some of our picks include: Back-to-School Report: How Paper Gives You a Leg Up on Learning Infographic: The Many Lives of Paper 100 Unconventional Reasons to Send a Card “Letters to Dad” How Life Unfolds YouTube Channel What does It Mean for the Industry? The $20 million ad campaign is planned to run for six months. It’s too soon to say if it will have the same effect on consumers’ pocket books as it does on their emotions—or if the fitting tagline will have the pop-culture impact that still has us saying, “Got Milk?” (Just nod if you’ve ever said that line with milk on our upper lip.) But we can say that this campaign is a long-awaited step in the right direction, printing a relatable face on the print and packaging industry that has come under fire in recent years for being environmentally damaging and obsolete. Matthew Van Vleet, Vice President, Public Affairs and Government Relations, Clearwater Paper Organization said, “[The campaign] is about sharing with the general public what we do and how we supply the products that everyone in the country uses every day.” Results cannot yet be measured, as Mary Anne Hansan, executive director of P&PB, told WhatTheyThink.com, but they are confident in the campaign’s success. “Paper & Packaging – How Life Unfolds” is launching with the same depth of research, rigor of testing, and clarity of purpose as any of those projects, it has as much “insurance” for success as it’s possible to give a campaign of this kind.” Tell us your opinion. What effects, if any, do...
read moreThe New Soft Proofing System You Should be Using
Remember when sending a client a physical proof of a print job was a chargeable service? That seems to have disappeared when we went to electronic distribution and suddenly clients started expecting a free emailed PDF proof. Many challenges arose with this system due to color inconsistency, productivity loss due to multiple revisions, etc. Today’s soft proofing systems offer convenient sharing, color accuracy thanks to screen calibration, automation, enhanced project monitoring, and other benefits that improve your workflow and reduce costs. How can you implement a system like this in your business? Here we spoke with Dan Caldwell, President of Remote Director, on the latest soft proofing innovations and how they can be the solution you’ve been looking for. Want a preview? Before you read this take a guided tour of Remote Director. PIA: What are the downsides of traditional soft proofing? DC: Most people feel that a PDF proof displayed on a monitor should cost nothing. But this has been eroding our value and profits as print providers. It used to be that the physical proof was like a signed “contract” for what we would deliver to our customer as the final job. These contract proofs had value and were charged for as part of the prepress costs. However as desktop publishing and CTP removed the need for creating film-based proofs, we shot ourselves in the foot by devaluing the cost of professionals in prepress. To regain prepress value, we can’t un-ring the bell of emailing free PDFs, but we can offer a better solution to restore value to the client, improve productivity, and create an automated audit trail for comments, revisions, and signoffs that were previously hidden in various email threads.. PIA: What is the solution? DC: Using today’s soft proofing systems, we provide a server-based solution where the final full-resolution files from prepress can be stored for all stakeholders to review. These systems eliminate the need for low-resolution files to be created along with the duplication required by email. PIA: Can you tell us about some of the key benefits of these systems? DC: There are plenty of benefits. For instance some systems can be automated with your current workflow software to provide hands-off creation. Once set up, files are added automatically and reviewers receive an email with the link to open the proof on their desktop. Using the provided tools, users can mark up and sign off on the proof. Another key functionality is the color management these systems provide through screen calibration. As dictated by the prepress coordinator, you can assign each user with a role that defines what tools they have access to. For example a legal viewer would not need the color management tools that an art director would. You can also route proofs through stakeholders to automate invitations and improve productivity. Hundreds of jobs and thousands of files can be sorted through quickly based on client name, due date, etc. An audit trail shows how long a proof sits between reviews and when a signoff is complete. PIA: What are some other uses for this soft proofing technology? DC: A proper system can handle all phases of a print production project. Photographers can shoot directly to a server, allowing art directors to direct a photo shoot remotely. Color departments can use...
read moreThe New Soft Proofing System You Should be Using
Remember when sending a client a physical proof of a print job was a chargeable service? That seems to have disappeared when we went to electronic distribution and suddenly clients started expecting a free emailed PDF proof. Many challenges arose with this system due to color inconsistency, productivity loss due to multiple revisions, etc. Today’s soft proofing systems offer convenient sharing, color accuracy thanks to screen calibration, automation, enhanced project monitoring, and other benefits that improve your workflow and reduce costs. How can you implement a system like this in your business? Here we spoke with Dan Caldwell, President of Remote Director, on the latest soft proofing innovations and how they can be the solution you’ve been looking for. Want a preview? Before you read this take a guided tour of Remote Director. PIA: What are the downsides of traditional soft proofing? DC: Most people feel that a PDF proof displayed on a monitor should cost nothing. But this has been eroding our value and profits as print providers. It used to be that the physical proof was like a signed “contract” for what we would deliver to our customer as the final job. These contract proofs had value and were charged for as part of the prepress costs. However as desktop publishing and CTP removed the need for creating film-based proofs, we shot ourselves in the foot by devaluing the cost of professionals in prepress. To regain prepress value, we can’t un-ring the bell of emailing free PDFs, but we can offer a better solution to restore value to the client, improve productivity, and create an automated audit trail for comments, revisions, and signoffs that were previously hidden in various email threads.. PIA: What is the solution? DC: Using today’s soft proofing systems, we provide a server-based solution where the final full-resolution files from prepress can be stored for all stakeholders to review. These systems eliminate the need for low-resolution files to be created along with the duplication required by email. PIA: Can you tell us about some of the key benefits of these systems? DC: There are plenty of benefits. For instance some systems can be automated with your current workflow software to provide hands-off creation. Once set up, files are added automatically and reviewers receive an email with the link to open the proof on their desktop. Using the provided tools, users can mark up and sign off on the proof. Another key functionality is the color management these systems provide through screen calibration. As dictated by the prepress coordinator, you can assign each user with a role that defines what tools they have access to. For example a legal viewer would not need the color management tools that an art director would. You can also route proofs through stakeholders to automate invitations and improve productivity. Hundreds of jobs and thousands of files can be sorted through quickly based on client name, due date, etc. An audit trail shows how long a proof sits between reviews and when a signoff is complete. PIA: What are some other uses for this soft proofing technology? DC: A proper system can handle all phases of a print production project. Photographers can shoot directly to a server, allowing art directors to direct a photo shoot remotely. Color departments can use...
read moreThe New Soft Proofing System You Should be Using
Remember when sending a client a physical proof of a print job was a chargeable service? That seems to have disappeared when we went to electronic distribution and suddenly clients started expecting a free emailed PDF proof. Many challenges arose with this system due to color inconsistency, productivity loss due to multiple revisions, etc. Today’s soft proofing systems offer convenient sharing, color accuracy thanks to screen calibration, automation, enhanced project monitoring, and other benefits that improve your workflow and reduce costs. How can you implement a system like this in your business? Here we spoke with Dan Caldwell, President of Remote Director, on the latest soft proofing innovations and how they can be the solution you’ve been looking for. Want a preview? Before you read this take a guided tour of Remote Director. PIA: What are the downsides of traditional soft proofing? DC: Most people feel that a PDF proof displayed on a monitor should cost nothing. But this has been eroding our value and profits as print providers. It used to be that the physical proof was like a signed “contract” for what we would deliver to our customer as the final job. These contract proofs had value and were charged for as part of the prepress costs. However as desktop publishing and CTP removed the need for creating film-based proofs, we shot ourselves in the foot by devaluing the cost of professionals in prepress. To regain prepress value, we can’t un-ring the bell of emailing free PDFs, but we can offer a better solution to restore value to the client, improve productivity, and create an automated audit trail for comments, revisions, and signoffs that were previously hidden in various email threads.. PIA: What is the solution? DC: Using today’s soft proofing systems, we provide a server-based solution where the final full-resolution files from prepress can be stored for all stakeholders to review. These systems eliminate the need for low-resolution files to be created along with the duplication required by email. PIA: Can you tell us about some of the key benefits of these systems? DC: There are plenty of benefits. For instance some systems can be automated with your current workflow software to provide hands-off creation. Once set up, files are added automatically and reviewers receive an email with the link to open the proof on their desktop. Using the provided tools, users can mark up and sign off on the proof. Another key functionality is the color management these systems provide through screen calibration. As dictated by the prepress coordinator, you can assign each user with a role that defines what tools they have access to. For example a legal viewer would not need the color management tools that an art director would. You can also route proofs through stakeholders to automate invitations and improve productivity. Hundreds of jobs and thousands of files can be sorted through quickly based on client name, due date, etc. An audit trail shows how long a proof sits between reviews and when a signoff is complete. PIA: What are some other uses for this soft proofing technology? DC: A proper system can handle all phases of a print production project. Photographers can shoot directly to a server, allowing art directors to direct a photo shoot remotely. Color departments can use...
read moreColorado Supreme Court Rules on Medical Marijuana
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on June 15, 2015 that an employer maintains the right to have a policy restricting the use of medical marijuana by employees (Coats v. Dish Network). The Court held that the Colorado law that defines “lawful” activities means activities that are lawful under both state and federal laws. State Supreme Courts in California, Montana and Washington have come to similar conclusions. Colorado’s Lawful Activities Statute states that “lawful activities” are protected if off-duty and not on employer premises (bona fide restrictions apply, such as safety sensitive). Under federal law, marijuana use is illegal under the Controlled Substances Act, however the Justice Department decided in 2009 not to prosecute medical marijuana users who are complying under state law. Arizona, Delaware, and Minnesota have statutes (with exceptions that relate to federal law compliance) that expressly prohibit employers from firing an employee for a positive marijuana drug test if that employee holds a valid marijuana prescription, however these laws have not be tested in the courts by employers. These three states’ statutes have very similar text with regards to employer prohibitions, but Colorado’s text is very different. Today, 24 states have passed laws allowing the use of medical marijuana. Four states (CO, WA, AK, OR) and Washington, D.C. have passed laws permitting “recreational” use. Oregon’s recreational use law, which takes effect in July, allows employers to maintain a drug-free policy and drug test employees and applicants. Looking for more HR tips? Check out our previous post, Is Your Company’s 401(k) Plan Working the way It Should? For any HR-related questions or join the HR listserv (just email HRQuestions( @ ) printing.org). Do you have a superior workplace? Why not market your Best Workplace and increase your recruiting and retaining benefits? Enter the Best Workplace in the Americas program, the only industry HR program of its kind recognizing top employers from small, medium, and large companies. Competition deadline for entries is September 30. For more information see...
read moreColorado Supreme Court Rules on Medical Marijuana
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on June 15, 2015 that an employer maintains the right to have a policy restricting the use of medical marijuana by employees (Coats v. Dish Network). The Court held that the Colorado law that defines “lawful” activities means activities that are lawful under both state and federal laws. State Supreme Courts in California, Montana and Washington have come to similar conclusions. Colorado’s Lawful Activities Statute states that “lawful activities” are protected if off-duty and not on employer premises (bona fide restrictions apply, such as safety sensitive). Under federal law, marijuana use is illegal under the Controlled Substances Act, however the Justice Department decided in 2009 not to prosecute medical marijuana users who are complying under state law. Arizona, Delaware, and Minnesota have statutes (with exceptions that relate to federal law compliance) that expressly prohibit employers from firing an employee for a positive marijuana drug test if that employee holds a valid marijuana prescription, however these laws have not be tested in the courts by employers. These three states’ statutes have very similar text with regards to employer prohibitions, but Colorado’s text is very different. Today, 24 states have passed laws allowing the use of medical marijuana. Four states (CO, WA, AK, OR) and Washington, D.C. have passed laws permitting “recreational” use. Oregon’s recreational use law, which takes effect in July, allows employers to maintain a drug-free policy and drug test employees and applicants. Looking for more HR tips? Check out our previous post, Is Your Company’s 401(k) Plan Working the way It Should? For any HR-related questions or join the HR listserv (just email HRQuestions( @ ) printing.org). Do you have a superior workplace? Why not market your Best Workplace and increase your recruiting and retaining benefits? Enter the Best Workplace in the Americas program, the only industry HR program of its kind recognizing top employers from small, medium, and large companies. Competition deadline for entries is September 30. For more information see...
read more