Capturing, Editing and Managing High-quality Color Images
Dr. Taz Tally, Taz Tally Photography and Director of the Digital Print Production Program, Sessions.edu—The Online School of Design, has been practicing, teaching, and writing about photography for more than 30 years. Specializing in black and white landscape photography, Dr. Tally is an expert in controlling image color and quality, and reproducing his awe-inspiring images using Adobe Creative Suite. Creating high-quality color images requires a combination of both creative image capture skills and technically competent image adjustment and management expertise. Achieving high-quality final color photographic output depends upon: Developing and utilizing high-quality techniques and processes throughout your color workflow, including composing eye-catching image compositions, Capturing images with Photoshop in mind Accurately and efficiently evaluating the color quality of your images Utilizing nondestructive image adjustment and editing techniques Accurately and efficiently adjusting your color, preparing your image for your final output device(s) Exporting and/or printing your final image—all while managing your color consistently throughout the process. So, consistently creating good, quality color images requires a mixture of both right-brain creative judgment and left-brain analytical and technical skills and organization. Most of us tend to favor one side of the brain or the other. Those who are more left-brain oriented may find the creative aspects of image capture to be a bit outside of our comfort zone. Similarly, those who are more right-brain oriented can be thoroughly intimidated by the analytical and technical aspects of color correction and color management. The reality of today’s creative and business life is that the same individual is often tasked with having both the creative insights and the technical competence to produce and output high-quality images. The good news is that the fundamentals of designing eye-catching image compositions and executing technically competent color correction and management are both learnable skills! During a full-day color image seminar in Scottsdale, Arizona, we will work our way through the entire high-quality color image creation workflow. We will begin with learning and then using a four-step process for composing eye-catching images. Then using the images we captured in the composition portion of the seminar we will step through the process of image evaluation, nondestructive color correction, and image editing. We will then finish up with preparing our images for final output, including printing. Throughout the entire process, we will be conscious of developing then maintaining the color quality of our images. Dr. Taz Tally will be presenting The Fine Art of Digital Photography and Workflow pre-conference workshop at the 2012 Color Management Conference, December 1–4, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Experience this valuable creative learning experience in a gorgeous desert setting. Find more information on this session and more...
read morePrint—Still a Vital Component in an E-Centric World
This guest blog was submitted by Kurt Konow, Production Print Marketing Strategist, Ricoh Americas Corporation, sponsor of the 2012 Integrated Print Forum, October 29-30, 2012. The world of communicating has changed dramatically. It was less than a decade ago that the primary distribution channel for communications was traditional print. Whether you were in the business of preparing and distributing mission-critical bills and statements, or the more creative world of designing and delivering direct mail, flyers, and brochures, print was king. But then something happened. Tradition was socked with a one-two punch—the E-World—and the methods of communicating changed forever. Consumers have more communication choices than ever before, including email, SMS text messaging, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and traditional print. Depending on the content of the communication, one channel might be just perfect and another channel not even a consideration. Sitting at your kid’s soccer game or commuting on a train might be perfect situations to text or tweet a message, but not very practical or timely to create and print a message. Clearly, we live in a world that communicates, and the E-World has simplified and enhanced our ability to interface with others instantaneously. However, what still remains at the center of the communication channel choice is preference and practicality. Not everyone can—or wants to—communicate via Facebook messaging. Not every mail piece, brochure, or poster is intelligently transferable through mobile marketing mechanisms. What are we saying? Print is still valued, still considered, still preferred by many, and still necessary. While print is not dead, it does require a more strategic approach to ensure it is carefully scheduled within an overall, integrated communication plan. In some circumstances print may still be able to stand on its own merit, but in other instances it will need to be a component in a broader communication strategy. Either way, it is incumbent on the communication owner to maximize the return on investment of print by ensuring maximum effectiveness. However, this lofty mandate can be daunting, unless you embrace a “best-practice” approach to ensuring print is a viable and effective component of an overall communication strategy. Ricoh’s 5 “Best-Practices” to Ensure Print Success Print Is Personal Never has the opportunity to effectively engage a prospect, or existing customer, been more possible than right now. As you are reading this article, your email inbox most likely has received one or more marketing messages. Did they go directly to spam or did they get clogged up amongst your other daily emails that you have to filter through? Either way, the “personalized” effect of your marketing email messages will most likely go unnoticed—if noticed at all. On the other hand, a printed piece with personalized messaging and imagery stares you right in the face and lets you know that your message was targeted and designed just for you. Specific color choices are but one example of how personalization can be infused into a printed piece. On average, response rates are five- to six-percent higher when personalized color is an element of printed communications. Print Drives ROI Consumers gravitate to print. According to a recent study conducted by the United States Postal Service (USPS), 38% of households surveyed found direct mail pieces “interesting.” Making a buying decision originates with consumer interest—whether the interest is self-induced or company-prompted, the consumer must...
read moreIf You Can’t Measure It, You Can’t Manage It
This guest blog was submitted by Bill Wagner, CEO, CSP, and Co-Founder, Accord Management Systems. As a consultant, presenter, and author for more than 20 years, he has been at the forefront of leadership and entrepreneurial practice. Printing industry professionals live in a world of trim sizes, PMS colors, and amazing attention to detail with the exception of the “C Level” and sales. It’s clearly an industry that depends on metrics. Our industry, human resources consulting, shares this mission-critical imperative with the printing industry. We also depend on tools of measurement; however, the item being measured is behavior. Using a well-proven system, we conduct surveys that measure whether an individual’s behavior fits with the behavioral requirements of a particular position. For the sake of example, consider any printing job you’ve worked on recently. If an error occurred, then a number of obstacles were created. For instance, the error may now compromise the envelope planned for the mailing. Or, the color may be darker than the color used in other campaigns. Either way, the decision must be made to reprint the job or somehow make it work with the error. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy to fix a bad hire; hiring decisions typically have longer lasting repercussions and impressions. Over the past decade, my company surveyed the personalities of 3000+ successful entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders. What have we learned? We’ve learned that success is based more on behavior than it is on skill, education, and/or experience. Our research shows that specific personalities actually perform at higher levels for sustained periods of time. So, if you’ve struggled with people decisions in the past, think about it this way: A person who does well in a line position may not possess the personality to succeed as a department head. The best customer service representative may fail as a manager. And, your most profitable salesperson might stink in the role of sales manager because of too much of a competitive edge. Each scenario may end in failure not because of skills, but because they don’t have the personality necessary for the job. If you want to learn more about effective leadership, Bill Wagner will be presenting Managing the Gap: A 3600 Leadership Survey at the 2012 LPIA Innovation Conference, November 7–9, 2012, in Coronado (San Diego),...
read moreGet in the Mood for Color: Find out What Is Hot in 2013!
The following article is contributed by Jackie Jordan, Color Expert, Director of Color Marketing, The Sherwin-Williams Company. Ms. Jordan is one of the keynote presenters at the 2012 Color Management Conference, December 1–4, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her valuable session, Opposites Attract: The 2013 Sherwin-Williams Colormix™ Forecast, will explore today’s color mood and reveal the dueling influences that are shaping four divergent color directions. Colormix 2013 is the exploration of extremes and opposites that reflect our diverse mindsets, lifestyles, and design philosophies. We are intrigued by the push and pull of luxury vs. austerity, light vs. dark, textured vs. smooth, fantasy vs. reality, synthetic vs. natural, and so on. We all have our own identities, but we are also influenced and shaped by the divergent energy of the world around us. With influences coming at us at warp speed, how do we find our own equilibrium, and, most importantly, how do we filter the overwhelming number of choices in a world where we have access to everything with the touch of a button or swipe of a finger? As forecasters it’s our mission to process and filter out the noise and focus on the relevant and meaningful so we can share a synthesized view that defines key drivers, inspirations, influences, and influencers that shape and inspire current and future color directions. We look everywhere and at everything to guide and inform us so that we can present a comprehensive account of the why’s, the who’s, and the what’s behind the trends and forecast for the future. Our exploration this year takes its cues from key indicators in fashion, cinema, pop culture, art, product design, science, and nature. Elements of each serve to craft the story and vision of future color and design direction that will inspire us to enhance our environments and provoke a new—or alter an existing—point of view. I look forward to sharing this amazing journey with all of you and perhaps initiating a fresh way to experience color. Please click on the PDF to view conference brochure. Visit www.printing.org/color for more information on Opposites Attract: The 2013 Sherwin-Williams Colormix™ Forecast. Register today to hear from more keynote speakers from Hallmark Cards, Inc. and Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee Inc., as well as innovative sessions that will show you how to gain control of color. Early Bird registration ends November 3,...
read moreSocial Media Is Not a Standalone Technology.
Adding a QR code to link your LinkedIn page or to your business card is just one example of fusing social media with your marketing initiatives. If you’re finding yourself thinking, now why didn’t I think of that?, introduce yourself to the concept fusion marketing, and you won’t get left behind! The world of social media is evolving, and to be prepared for the future, Lon Safko, CEO, Innovative Thinking, and bestselling author of The Fusion Market Bible, encourages you to discover the totally new concept of “interconnecting” all of your traditional and digital tools! “The Fusion Marketing Bible is the next generation of marketing that brings our 6,000 years of traditional marketing, the exciting digital marketing tools of the Internet, and social media and fully integrates them into one seamless tool set that will accomplish every objective you set!”—Lon Safko, CEO, Innovative Thinking Printing Industries of America Training Programs is offering a FREE webinar: “The Fusion Marketing Bible—It’s what’s Next!” on Tuesday, October 16. This is the first time Printing Industries of America has offered a free webinar for anyone outside its membership. This is a perfect opportunity for entrepreneurs and business executives to better understand the relationship between traditional media and social media. Fusion Marketing has the tools you need to kick your company into high gear—and get ahead of your competition. ...
read moreBetter Manage Your Social Media Engagement
Some people just don’t “get” social media for business. Sure, they think it’s OK to keep up with Cousin Charlie, but they just haven’t gotten a grasp on how they can use it for marketing or business growth. Facebook isn’t just for catching up with your friends, and Twitter can be more than idle chit-chat. Truth is, intelligent use of social platforms helps a company track who visits the company site, reveals what customers say about the business, showcases a company’s services, and amplifies the message of a printed piece! You can learn more about social media at Integrated Print Forum 2012. This event will take place October 29–30 at Printing Industries of America’s headquarters in Sewickley, PA. The focus of the event will be the hottest trends today in the graphic communications industry that you need to implement into your printing business. Sessions will not only focus on social media but on topics such as, the future of digital and how print is a big part of it, the potential goldmine that is the self-publishing boom, the income potential for ePubs, driving business to your website with SEO, branding, and much more. In its second year, Integrated Print Forum is gearing up to be the top event of the year. Renee Berger, Marketing Manager at Western States Envelope & Label, attended the event in 2011 and was so taken by the information she received—and with her experience in the graphic communications industry—she has been invited back in 2012 as a speaker. Her knowledge can help business professionals understand how important social media is for their business, brand, and profits. Here’s what she has to say about this year’s Forum: “What a great program—I am so excited to participate! Coming from a traditional graphic design and marketing background, I understand marketing is comprised of four facets that I like to call the four Ps: Price, Product, Placement, and Promotion. How does social media fit into your picture? Could it be a fifth category all on its own? I think so. How about another P–People. Social media sits on top of the four Ps— as an ‘integrator’ of all the channels. Whether it’s a first impression, teaching someone about your product or service, or best case, having a ‘brand ally.’ Social media further supports your price model as others will affirm your brand promise. Thinking like the consumer is a valuable part of humanizing any brand, and gaining intelligence about what’s next is really important. Don’t miss the opportunities to see what’s next in this excellent Integrated Print Forum–can’t wait to see you there!” Tracking Tools for Super Sleuths: Managing Your Social Engagement, will be the session presented by Renee Berger of Western States Envelope & Label; John Foley of Grow Socially Inc.; David Betz of SocialToaster; and Mary Garnett of Printing Industries of America. This session will provide attendees with the details on how to manage time on social media so that it is beneficial and organized. Hear how savvy companies, such as Western States Envelope & Label, are flourishing with their use of social media management tools. Learn about how to grow customer relationships with Grow Socially. Discover how to significantly increase website traffic and word-of-mouth referrals with tools like SocialToaster. Hear proven tactics from this panel of...
read moreBest Workplace in the Americas Program—Your Link to Success
The facts are clear: employees are happier and more financially secure when their company is truly invested in them. Is your workplace invested in its employees? It’s time to find out! If you have a great workplace, now is the time to showcase what you have done for your employees by entering the 2012 Best Workplace in the Americas Program. Please send your entry through a traceable means. Visit www.printing.org/bwa to download the entry form. You will need: A brief summary statement—highlighting why your company is a Best Workplace Employee Handbook (required) Supporting Materials (optional)—anything that you think would help the judges understand your HR policies and practices. Items may include, but are not limited to: company newsletters, employee testimonials, program descriptions, outlines and results, goal statements, etc. Payment of the entry fee (for more information, download the brochure for the Fee Schedule) For past winners, the benefits of the Best Workplace in the Americas Program have been immeasurable: “Our employees are very important to us! Being able to provide them with a safe work environment, great benefits, and many company perks helps us show them how much we care about them. Communicorp has won Best of the Best eight out of the last ten years, and we are proud to share this success with our employees!” Robin Scrivner, HRCommunicorm, Inc. “The Best Workplace in the Americas competition helps Vox to keep our focus on our company’s most valuable asset—our people. We believe if our coworkers are trained, encouraged, and motivated, we can continue to grow our customer and vendor relationships that provide the foundation for the success we have been able to achieve so far. We look forward to challenging ourselves to become an even better place to work each year. “ David Reid, PresidentVox Printing, Inc. What’s more—all entrants, winners and non-winners, receive the Best Practices of the Best Workplaces book. This publication highlights the judges’ favorite programs and policies, a benefit to everyone who has entered. See what caught the eye of the judges, and maybe even “borrow” an idea or two! The deadline for entries is October 26, 2012. Enter...
read moreIf color management is important to you…
Quick, can you recall the last time you made a purchase? What did the ad look like? Tests show that color images hold the consumer’s attention for two seconds or more, while black and white images sustain interest for less than two-thirds of a second. Color is important to our customers’ brands, products, and materials. It is a part of our daily lives. Therefore, achieving consistent, accurate color reproduction is essential to our industry. Color is perception, and as part of our commitment to serve this industry, one of the valuable resources we offer is to help you gain control and improve your management of color. If accurate color reproduction is important in your business, watch as Dave Dezzutti, Technology and Research Analyst, Printing Industries of America and an experienced color expert, demonstrates how the spectrophotometer helps print professionals like you in our on-site, state-of-the-art printing facility. Dave will be presenting at both GRAPH EXPO 2012, held October 7–10, in Chicago, IL (Booth #4045) and the 2012 Color Management Conference, December 1–4, in Scottsdale, AZ. Let us help you color your world—and save your company time and money, too! If color management is important to you and your company, see what awaits you at the 2012 Color Management Conference. ...
read moreePublishing versus Self-Publishing
ePublishing vs. Self-publishing. These two topics can seem frightening to people in the graphic communications industry. Some people look at ePublishing as, well, an enemy, while others feel that self-publishing is dead. The truth is, offering either one of these services are just another great potential revenue stream for printers and publishers with the right business plan and technical know-how. ePublishingMobile devices and tablets are a hot item today! Half of all cell phones in the U.S. are smartphones, and a quarter of those smartphone owners also use a tablet device—by 2014 experts predict 20% of all U.S. consumers will own a tablet! While people want their content in print, they also look to consume their content from these popular devices. The questions isn’t, “What has gone digital,” but rather, “What has not gone digital?” Not only have newspapers and magazines provided consumers with digital offerings, but books have essentially followed suite. Today, e-books are one of the fastest growing areas of book sales. There is enormous potential around epublishing, and it is imperative for anyone in the print communication industry to investigate this potentially lucrative service offering. Don’t feel threatened by this growing trend, take advantage of it. ePublishing is a great opportunity for your business. Self-PublishingWhile people may think that self-publishing is dead, it is actually just the opposite—it is thriving. In the last few years, self-publishing has continued to grow at an exciting rate while creating opportunities for both publishers and printers Establishing a self-publishing center for your business can create new revenue streams that you may have not even thought about yet. This great business opportunity can put printers in the controls to provide their clients the direction they need for a successful self-publishing campaign. Get the Skinny On these Exciting Business OpportunitiesLearn first-hand how you can be a forward-thinking printer and adopt these revenue-generating services at the upcoming Integrated Print Forum 2012, October 29-30. This two-day event will give you the insight on how to take the mystery out of your future. Become a detective and scope out today’s hottest business trends and new opportunities in the graphic communications industry. Speakers will have the intel on how to keep print in the mix, while providing your clients with new, integrated printing services. The entire event will be dedicated to offering real strategies around new business options, including ePublishing and self-publishing, with a focus on providing tactics to take back to your business in which you can apply immediately. At the Forum, attend the session, Don’t Fear the Tablet! ePublishing Trends & Tactics. This informative session will be presented by business strategist Peter Muir, of Bizucate, Inc., who will talk with John Bell, of Ovid Bell Press, Graham Blanks of DALIM, and Joe Fontana of Mosaic about the real-world potential in offering ePub services. This session will take place on day one of the event, Monday, October 29, at 1:00 p.m. on the main stage. You don’t want to miss it! Get more information about self-publishing at the Forum by attending the session, Jump aboard the Self-Publishing Growth Engine! This session will be presented by John Conley of Xerox Corporation and Tod Shuttleworth of Thomas Nelson, Inc. In this session, you’ll hear how major book publisher Thomas Nelson embraced self-publishing to create new revenue...
read moreTake a Crash Course in Inkjet Printing!
Inkjet printing is a $33.4 billion market today and is forecast to double by 2017! Signage is the largest sector in the inkjet printing realm, representing 57% of the market in 2011, much of it printed on flatbed inkjet presses. But the types of work a flatbed device can produce are almost endless. Take a crash course covering everything you need to know to get up to speed on flatbed inkjet–including a review of everything from the types of machines, inks, and finishing equipment out there to real-world applications and markets that you can jump into! Flatbed Inkjet — A Crash Course for Print Service Providers will be presented by Printing Industry of America’s Julie Shaffer, Vice President of Digital Technologies. Flatbed Inkjet — A Crash Course for Print Service Providers Sponsored by Océ October 2, 2012 2:00 PM Eastern FREE for Printing Industries of America Members $99 for non-members Register for this webinar and learn how to get in on this very profitable business...
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