The Product of Excellence Awards Join the Premier Print Awards
No matter what segment of the postpress industry you’re in, there are always a few special products that really make you proud. Whether it was a unique binding or a project that everyone said couldn’t be done, you made it happen to the best of your abilities and then some. It’s these types of projects that deserve recognition on an industry-wide level. And now, you have the opportunity to enter these into one of the biggest industry award competitions—the Premier Print Awards. Starting in 2016, those companies who previously entered the Product of Excellence Awards now have the opportunity to showcase their work within the Premier Print Awards Competition. The Premier Print Awards recognize the highest quality printed pieces in various categories from around the world. Each year, only the most worthy pieces receive Awards of Recognition, Certificates of Merit, and the highest honor—the Benny statue. For more than sixty years, winners of the largest, most prestigious print competition in the world have leveraged this honor to gain a competitive advantage. What Categories Can I Enter? To ensure your postpress piece is submitted in the appropriate category, the Premier Print Awards have updated five of their categories: O-2 Diecuts and Pop-ups O-4 Folding, Unique Folds, and Involvement Devices O-5 Binding O-6 Other Special Finishing Techniques T-1 Cartons, Containers, Boxes, and Totes Of course, you are more than welcome to submit your pieces into other Premier Print Awards categories including “They Said It Couldn’t Be Done,” “Special Innovation Awards,” and other segments. You can view all of this year’s categories by visiting www.printing.org/ppacategories. Benefits of the Premier Print Awards Recipients of the Premier Print Awards have been known to use their win as leverage in the industry. Receiving an award in the competition will show your customers that you are among the elite in the industry. And your employees can feel proud knowing they work for a highly regarded company. Each recipient will receive an invitation to the Premier Print Awards Gala featuring the InterTech Technology Awards (Benny winners receive a complimentary ticket), inclusion in the Premier Print Awards Supplement, exposure to the media with a press release from Printing Industries of America, a Benny statue, a certificate or plaque to proudly display, industry recognition, a self-promotion kit to help endorse the win, and Premier Print Award imagery to display on your promotional pieces. We encourage you to participate in this exciting event. To submit your entries into the Premier Print Awards, visit awards.printing.org, create your company profile, and enter your pieces. For questions regarding the Premier Print Awards and how to enter this year’s competition, visit www.printing.org/ppa or contact Mike Packard by clicking here or by calling...
read moreFujifilm Joins the PIA President’s Conference
The following post was submitted by 2016 President’s Conference sponsor, Fujifilm. Fujifilm’s Graphic Systems Division is proud to continue our long-standing support of Printing Industries of America and the 2016 President’s Conference. Our loyalty to PIA and its members aligns with Fujifilm’s prevalent role in the graphic communications industry. Fujifilm stands apart based upon our broad perspective on both the legacy, analog components of your business, along with every aspect of the newer options for digital print production. Whether it’s pressroom supplies or the premier portfolio of offset and flexo printing plates and equipment, we’ve got you covered. When it comes to digital print, we span the gamut from toner-based solutions to hybrid combinations of traditional and digital, to the cutting edge of 100% digital for applications ranging from commercial to packaging to wide-format. Our commitment to our collective industry is second to none, both in terms of personnel and investments. In the North America market alone, we have a combined field sales and service team of more than 325 skilled professionals. Over the past 10 years we have invested more than $1 billion in targeted acquisitions in the digital print technology category and continue to invest more than $2 billion annually on R&D. Fujifilm’s newly renovated and expanded Chicago Technology Center encompasses more than 23,000 square feet and offers a wide array of printing solutions, from offset to packaging, wide format to narrow-web labels, digital toner presses to high-speed production inkjet presses, and workflow to color management. Fujifilm delivers a first-hand and hands-on educational experience for print providers, all in one facility. Onsite visits to the Chicago Technology Center include one-on-one demonstrations allowing you to run your files on your substrates, VIP tours, Technology Summits, and industry events. We can arrange a private tour for you and your company as well. With the most diverse product and solution portfolio in the graphics industry, Fujifilm can provide an insightful, close-up experience on how the latest innovative technologies can expand and grow your printing business. Your attendance at the President’s Conference is a testament to your leadership approach within your organization; seeking to network and learn from subject-matter experts and your peers is a key success factor in our ever-changing industry. If you are a current customer, thank you for your business—we don’t take our business relationship for granted. If you aren’t currently a Fujifilm customer, we would appreciate the opportunity better understand you and your business, and how we can apply our perspective, commitment, and innovative approach to your needs now, and in the...
read moreFujifilm Joins the PIA President’s Conference
The following post was submitted by 2016 President’s Conference sponsor, Fujifilm. Fujifilm’s Graphic Systems Division is proud to continue our long-standing support of Printing Industries of America and the 2016 President’s Conference. Our loyalty to PIA and its members aligns with Fujifilm’s prevalent role in the graphic communications industry. Fujifilm stands apart based upon our broad perspective on both the legacy, analog components of your business, along with every aspect of the newer options for digital print production. Whether it’s pressroom supplies or the premier portfolio of offset and flexo printing plates and equipment, we’ve got you covered. When it comes to digital print, we span the gamut from toner-based solutions to hybrid combinations of traditional and digital, to the cutting edge of 100% digital for applications ranging from commercial to packaging to wide-format. Our commitment to our collective industry is second to none, both in terms of personnel and investments. In the North America market alone, we have a combined field sales and service team of more than 325 skilled professionals. Over the past 10 years we have invested more than $1 billion in targeted acquisitions in the digital print technology category and continue to invest more than $2 billion annually on R&D. Fujifilm’s newly renovated and expanded Chicago Technology Center encompasses more than 23,000 square feet and offers a wide array of printing solutions, from offset to packaging, wide format to narrow-web labels, digital toner presses to high-speed production inkjet presses, and workflow to color management. Fujifilm delivers a first-hand and hands-on educational experience for print providers, all in one facility. Onsite visits to the Chicago Technology Center include one-on-one demonstrations allowing you to run your files on your substrates, VIP tours, Technology Summits, and industry events. We can arrange a private tour for you and your company as well. With the most diverse product and solution portfolio in the graphics industry, Fujifilm can provide an insightful, close-up experience on how the latest innovative technologies can expand and grow your printing business. Your attendance at the President’s Conference is a testament to your leadership approach within your organization; seeking to network and learn from subject-matter experts and your peers is a key success factor in our ever-changing industry. If you are a current customer, thank you for your business—we don’t take our business relationship for granted. If you aren’t currently a Fujifilm customer, we would appreciate the opportunity better understand you and your business, and how we can apply our perspective, commitment, and innovative approach to your needs now, and in the...
read moreProductivity Trumps Cost—By Miles!
The following post was submitted by 2016 President’s Conference sponsor, Heidelberg. Let’s view the print process as a car manufacturing production line. It’s designed, tested, and highly monitored to achieve the highest level of efficiency at the lowest unit cost and at a set quality level. Print is a manufacturing process and should be viewed in exactly the same way. Automation and color monitoring (importantly it must be spectrophotometry!) has led to print being a honed process, not an art. Equipment investment should therefore be judged on its ultimate output cost per sheet. Productivity of your investment far outweighs any initial premium you may pay for that piece of equipment. If you are hanging onto older, paid-off equipment, I can almost guarantee that the latest equipment used by competitors has a lower cost per sheet, including the fact that their cost rate includes paying back that new investment. Let’s look at an example in the finishing department, which tends to be the area using most of the older technology, i.e. lacking regular replacement investments to keep pace with technology. How Can I Save? Let’s take a look at the average cost to produce a 16-page signature on a two-shift operation: With an older folder, manufacturing at just 5,800 sheets per hour, you’re spending an average of .00763 cents per folded signature. With a new folder, such as a Stahlfolder KH 82, manufacturing at 11,000 sheets per hour, you will cut the cost down to an average of .00433 cents per folded signature. This means if you are running 2.8 million sheets per month, you have the potential to save over $9,000 a month with the newer machine. That’s an annual savings of $108,000. The same analysis needs to be carried out across every cost center, plus the combined capacity of linked processes also needs to match. The most efficient printers load the business from back to front (finishing to prepress), therefore maximizing billings, reducing work in progress, and even adjusting cost rates daily to fill the capacity of each cost center. It’s a waste of investment funds, time, and cash flow if one process is highly productive—only to hit a significantly lower capacity wall downstream. If you ran a car manufacturing line, would you produce 8 wheels for each...
read moreProductivity Trumps Cost—By Miles!
The following post was submitted by 2016 President’s Conference sponsor, Heidelberg. Let’s view the print process as a car manufacturing production line. It’s designed, tested, and highly monitored to achieve the highest level of efficiency at the lowest unit cost and at a set quality level. Print is a manufacturing process and should be viewed in exactly the same way. Automation and color monitoring (importantly it must be spectrophotometry!) has led to print being a honed process, not an art. Equipment investment should therefore be judged on its ultimate output cost per sheet. Productivity of your investment far outweighs any initial premium you may pay for that piece of equipment. If you are hanging onto older, paid-off equipment, I can almost guarantee that the latest equipment used by competitors has a lower cost per sheet, including the fact that their cost rate includes paying back that new investment. Let’s look at an example in the finishing department, which tends to be the area using most of the older technology, i.e. lacking regular replacement investments to keep pace with technology. How Can I Save? Let’s take a look at the average cost to produce a 16-page signature on a two-shift operation: With an older folder, manufacturing at just 5,800 sheets per hour, you’re spending an average of .00763 cents per folded signature. With a new folder, such as a Stahlfolder KH 82, manufacturing at 11,000 sheets per hour, you will cut the cost down to an average of .00433 cents per folded signature. This means if you are running 2.8 million sheets per month, you have the potential to save over $9,000 a month with the newer machine. That’s an annual savings of $108,000. The same analysis needs to be carried out across every cost center, plus the combined capacity of linked processes also needs to match. The most efficient printers load the business from back to front (finishing to prepress), therefore maximizing billings, reducing work in progress, and even adjusting cost rates daily to fill the capacity of each cost center. It’s a waste of investment funds, time, and cash flow if one process is highly productive—only to hit a significantly lower capacity wall downstream. If you ran a car manufacturing line, would you produce 8 wheels for each...
read moreIndependent Print Operator Drives Growth through FASTSIGNS®
The following post was submitted by 2016 President’s Conference sponsor, FASTSIGNS International. In 2003, Richard Helmey transitioned from being a senior executive in the Coca-Cola Companies juice division to the owner of a local printing business in Houston area college campuses. With a finger on the pulse of industry advancements and the changing needs of his customers, Helmey parlayed his background into quick revenue growth. He changed his company’s name to truecolor GRAPHICS and began offering marketing communications services as well as more comprehensive printing offerings. “My penchant for big growth led me to enter the wide-format market,” Helmey explained. “While we were in the wide-format business for some time, we felt there was a greater opportunity that we were missing out on. We evaluated expanding the product line internally, but knew we would need help to be effective in both production and marketing.” Helmey looked at various franchise offerings within the print space, but given his desire to also keep his existing business in operation, he found that some were inflexible on how an arrangement could work. He turned to the signage industry expecting to find the same feedback, but was excited when he came across FASTSIGNS®. The FASTSIGNS Co-Brand program helps independent business operators with print-related services add the FASTSIGNS brand and full-suite of solutions, while retaining control of their existing business. This allows Co-Brand franchise owners to maximize their businesses’ true potential by expanding their service offerings and effectively marketing and selling the new services with ongoing guidance from FASTSIGNS. “FASTSIGNS was really the perfect solution,” he added. “The Co-Brand program made it possible to separate the businesses for royalty purposes, meanwhile providing access to the resources and tools we needed to effectively build out our wide-format offerings. This made it a natural decision to add the powerful branding of FASTSIGNS to drive incremental gross profit.” He continued, “We added the FASTSIGNS franchise to our current printing location and the cost of entry was very affordable. We spent about $85,000 to purchase the franchise, necessary equipment, and complete the build-out at our existing location.” Co-Brand franchisees can join FASTSIGNS for a down payment of $10,000. The company also offers the leading brand name in the sign and graphics industry, as well as product and printer reviews and negotiated discounts on equipment and supplies among several other benefits. “After becoming a FASTSIGNS Co-Brand franchisee, things really took off—it meshed well with my existing business, gave us the capability to provide a full range of wide-format projects, and injected a new level of sophistication to my company,” Helmey said. “Most importantly, wide-format sales are 20 percent of total revenues and are on track to double in the next two years.” By using outside sales, his company has been targeting client verticals that are the best opportunity for growth. He said, “The printing and sign businesses have a lot of synergy, so using one product line to support the other has been a huge benefit.” For information about the FASTSIGNS Co-Brand franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson (mark.jameson@fastsigns.com or 214-346-5679) or visit...
read moreIndependent Print Operator Drives Growth through FASTSIGNS®
The following post was submitted by 2016 President’s Conference sponsor, FASTSIGNS International. In 2003, Richard Helmey transitioned from being a senior executive in the Coca-Cola Companies juice division to the owner of a local printing business in Houston area college campuses. With a finger on the pulse of industry advancements and the changing needs of his customers, Helmey parlayed his background into quick revenue growth. He changed his company’s name to truecolor GRAPHICS and began offering marketing communications services as well as more comprehensive printing offerings. “My penchant for big growth led me to enter the wide-format market,” Helmey explained. “While we were in the wide-format business for some time, we felt there was a greater opportunity that we were missing out on. We evaluated expanding the product line internally, but knew we would need help to be effective in both production and marketing.” Helmey looked at various franchise offerings within the print space, but given his desire to also keep his existing business in operation, he found that some were inflexible on how an arrangement could work. He turned to the signage industry expecting to find the same feedback, but was excited when he came across FASTSIGNS®. The FASTSIGNS Co-Brand program helps independent business operators with print-related services add the FASTSIGNS brand and full-suite of solutions, while retaining control of their existing business. This allows Co-Brand franchise owners to maximize their businesses’ true potential by expanding their service offerings and effectively marketing and selling the new services with ongoing guidance from FASTSIGNS. “FASTSIGNS was really the perfect solution,” he added. “The Co-Brand program made it possible to separate the businesses for royalty purposes, meanwhile providing access to the resources and tools we needed to effectively build out our wide-format offerings. This made it a natural decision to add the powerful branding of FASTSIGNS to drive incremental gross profit.” He continued, “We added the FASTSIGNS franchise to our current printing location and the cost of entry was very affordable. We spent about $85,000 to purchase the franchise, necessary equipment, and complete the build-out at our existing location.” Co-Brand franchisees can join FASTSIGNS for a down payment of $10,000. The company also offers the leading brand name in the sign and graphics industry, as well as product and printer reviews and negotiated discounts on equipment and supplies among several other benefits. “After becoming a FASTSIGNS Co-Brand franchisee, things really took off—it meshed well with my existing business, gave us the capability to provide a full range of wide-format projects, and injected a new level of sophistication to my company,” Helmey said. “Most importantly, wide-format sales are 20 percent of total revenues and are on track to double in the next two years.” By using outside sales, his company has been targeting client verticals that are the best opportunity for growth. He said, “The printing and sign businesses have a lot of synergy, so using one product line to support the other has been a huge benefit.” For information about the FASTSIGNS Co-Brand franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson (mark.jameson@fastsigns.com or 214-346-5679) or visit...
read moreIndependent Print Operator Drives Growth through FASTSIGNS®
The following post was submitted by 2016 President’s Conference sponsor, FASTSIGNS International. In 2003, Richard Helmey transitioned from being a senior executive in the Coca-Cola Companies juice division to the owner of a local printing business in Houston area college campuses. With a finger on the pulse of industry advancements and the changing needs of his customers, Helmey parlayed his background into quick revenue growth. He changed his company’s name to truecolor GRAPHICS and began offering marketing communications services as well as more comprehensive printing offerings. “My penchant for big growth led me to enter the wide-format market,” Helmey explained. “While we were in the wide-format business for some time, we felt there was a greater opportunity that we were missing out on. We evaluated expanding the product line internally, but knew we would need help to be effective in both production and marketing.” Helmey looked at various franchise offerings within the print space, but given his desire to also keep his existing business in operation, he found that some were inflexible on how an arrangement could work. He turned to the signage industry expecting to find the same feedback, but was excited when he came across FASTSIGNS®. The FASTSIGNS Co-Brand program helps independent business operators with print-related services add the FASTSIGNS brand and full-suite of solutions, while retaining control of their existing business. This allows Co-Brand franchise owners to maximize their businesses’ true potential by expanding their service offerings and effectively marketing and selling the new services with ongoing guidance from FASTSIGNS. “FASTSIGNS was really the perfect solution,” he added. “The Co-Brand program made it possible to separate the businesses for royalty purposes, meanwhile providing access to the resources and tools we needed to effectively build out our wide-format offerings. This made it a natural decision to add the powerful branding of FASTSIGNS to drive incremental gross profit.” He continued, “We added the FASTSIGNS franchise to our current printing location and the cost of entry was very affordable. We spent about $85,000 to purchase the franchise, necessary equipment, and complete the build-out at our existing location.” Co-Brand franchisees can join FASTSIGNS for a down payment of $10,000. The company also offers the leading brand name in the sign and graphics industry, as well as product and printer reviews and negotiated discounts on equipment and supplies among several other benefits. “After becoming a FASTSIGNS Co-Brand franchisee, things really took off—it meshed well with my existing business, gave us the capability to provide a full range of wide-format projects, and injected a new level of sophistication to my company,” Helmey said. “Most importantly, wide-format sales are 20 percent of total revenues and are on track to double in the next two years.” By using outside sales, his company has been targeting client verticals that are the best opportunity for growth. He said, “The printing and sign businesses have a lot of synergy, so using one product line to support the other has been a huge benefit.” For information about the FASTSIGNS Co-Brand franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson (mark.jameson@fastsigns.com or 214-346-5679) or visit...
read moreIndependent Print Operator Drives Growth through FASTSIGNS®
The following post was submitted by 2016 President’s Conference sponsor, FASTSIGNS International. In 2003, Richard Helmey transitioned from being a senior executive in the Coca-Cola Companies juice division to the owner of a local printing business in Houston area college campuses. With a finger on the pulse of industry advancements and the changing needs of his customers, Helmey parlayed his background into quick revenue growth. He changed his company’s name to truecolor GRAPHICS and began offering marketing communications services as well as more comprehensive printing offerings. “My penchant for big growth led me to enter the wide-format market,” Helmey explained. “While we were in the wide-format business for some time, we felt there was a greater opportunity that we were missing out on. We evaluated expanding the product line internally, but knew we would need help to be effective in both production and marketing.” Helmey looked at various franchise offerings within the print space, but given his desire to also keep his existing business in operation, he found that some were inflexible on how an arrangement could work. He turned to the signage industry expecting to find the same feedback, but was excited when he came across FASTSIGNS®. The FASTSIGNS Co-Brand program helps independent business operators with print-related services add the FASTSIGNS brand and full-suite of solutions, while retaining control of their existing business. This allows Co-Brand franchise owners to maximize their businesses’ true potential by expanding their service offerings and effectively marketing and selling the new services with ongoing guidance from FASTSIGNS. “FASTSIGNS was really the perfect solution,” he added. “The Co-Brand program made it possible to separate the businesses for royalty purposes, meanwhile providing access to the resources and tools we needed to effectively build out our wide-format offerings. This made it a natural decision to add the powerful branding of FASTSIGNS to drive incremental gross profit.” He continued, “We added the FASTSIGNS franchise to our current printing location and the cost of entry was very affordable. We spent about $85,000 to purchase the franchise, necessary equipment, and complete the build-out at our existing location.” Co-Brand franchisees can join FASTSIGNS for a down payment of $10,000. The company also offers the leading brand name in the sign and graphics industry, as well as product and printer reviews and negotiated discounts on equipment and supplies among several other benefits. “After becoming a FASTSIGNS Co-Brand franchisee, things really took off—it meshed well with my existing business, gave us the capability to provide a full range of wide-format projects, and injected a new level of sophistication to my company,” Helmey said. “Most importantly, wide-format sales are 20 percent of total revenues and are on track to double in the next two years.” By using outside sales, his company has been targeting client verticals that are the best opportunity for growth. He said, “The printing and sign businesses have a lot of synergy, so using one product line to support the other has been a huge benefit.” For information about the FASTSIGNS Co-Brand franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson (mark.jameson@fastsigns.com or 214-346-5679) or visit...
read moreIndependent Print Operators Increasingly Join FASTSIGNS® to Effectively Enter Wi
This post was submitted by 2016 President’s Conference sponsor, FASTSIGNS International. As the need to diversify service offerings grows, many independent print operators are turning to FASTSIGNS International, Inc. for direction and ongoing support to develop and sell wide-format signage. In 2015, the company’s Co-Brand program accounted for 20 percent of the franchise agreements it signed, a significant increase from prior years. Launched in 2012, the FASTSIGNS® Co-Brand program helps independent business operators with print-related services add the FASTSIGNS brand and full-suite of solutions, while retaining control of their existing businesses. Co-Brand franchise owners maximize their businesses’ true potential by expanding their service offerings and effectively marketing and selling the new services with ongoing guidance from FASTSIGNS. Franchisees in the program consistently report that the partnership is adding value for customers and promoting long-term growth opportunities for their businesses. For Donna Booth, a FASTSIGNS Co-Brand franchisee and owner of Prestige Printing, joining the company’s Co-Brand program in 2013 saved her significant time, resources, and money. She spent the previous year trying to maintain operations, while researching the equipment necessary to offer wide-format. After purchasing equipment, she came across FASTSIGNS at a trade show and began talking with a company representative. She quickly realized that she needed to change her equipment order and join the FASTSIGNS Co-Brand program. “Words can’t describe how much of a relief it is to have a business partner I can turn to on an ongoing basis who understands my business and knows the best way to continue moving it in the right direction,” Booth explained. “FASTSIGNS takes out much of the guess work and walks you through every aspect of moving into the signage and visual graphics industry. They helped me with everything from purchasing the right equipment to marketing the products and services to existing and potential customers.” FASTSIGNS also offers the leading brand name in the sign and graphics industry, as well as: The latest technology including product and printer reviews Negotiated discounts on equipment and supplies Extensive training opportunities Comprehensive marketing programs and support Mentorship program Check out the benefits of networking with FASTSIGNS centers nationwide. For information about the FASTSIGNS Co-Brand franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson (mark.jameson (@) fastsigns.com or 214-346-5679) or visit...
read more