Book Printer Gets Belated Recognition — Cagle
BRUCE DERON only wanted to recover some long-lost war medals he’d earned as an Air Force pilot during Vietnam. Thanks to Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Deron will be getting more recognition than he had expected.
Deron, president of Waymart, PA-based SG Printing, had contacted McCain’s office inquiring about a way to replace his medals, which had been misplaced years ago during a move. McCain took a long look at Deron’s military record, verified the original citations and found there were other events where he should have been medaled for his actions, according to Deron’s son, Jason—the vice president of sales at SG Printing.
McCain will now be presenting replacement medals, as well as bestowing new honors upon Deron, at a date to be determined.
RATED SPEED INCREASES: You have to sympathize with the few graphic arts suppliers that have ventured into the world of sponsoring stock car auto racing. With the exception of DuPont and its now-legendary NASCAR driver, Jeff Gordon, companies such as FedEx and Georgia-Pacific have suffered in sponsoring lesser lights.
G-P may have been ahead of the curve thinking-wise: its drivers were so terrible and wrecked so frequently that they always had prolonged television exposure when the tow truck or flat bed carted off what was left of the crumpled car. TV time in advertising equals big bucks.
But a hearty congratulations goes out to the FedEx/Kinko’s No. 11 Chevy, which pulled into victory lane June 11 when rookie driver Denny Hamlin won from the pole at the Pocono 500. Less than a month later, he repeated at Long Pond, PA. Through July 23, Hamlin posted five top-five and nine top-10 finishes, and was in position to qualify for the circuit’s postseason and a shot at the Nextel Cup title.
Take that, UPS!
SPEAKING OF FAST INK: NewPage is sponsoring one of the more unique contests the industry has ever witnessed. Dubbed “Show Us Your Heavy Coverage,” as a tribute to excellence in ink, the contest is seeking creatively (and heavily) tattooed members of the printing and converting industries. A prominent tattoo artist will judge the photograph submissions and select the top body art masterpieces.
Winning entrants will be flown to Las Vegas for a photo shoot and inclusion in the NewPage 2007 Printing Ink calendar. Other prizes include the Richard Petty Driving Experience and a custom Snap-on tool chest.
To enter, contact NewPage ExSamples at (800) 638-3313 or e-mail printingink@newpagecorp.com. Deadline for entries is September 1, 2006.
PUTTING FOR PEOPLE: Another round of applause goes out to Quad/Graphics for being a solid citizen in its home town of Sussex, WI. The 12th annual Quad Charity Open pulled down a record $186,000 for the Children’s Research Institute (CRI)—half of which was Quad’s matching of the proceeds raised. The golf tournament, held at the Silver Spring Country Club, featured 288 participants, nearly half of which were Quad vendors.
A check was presented to Dr. David Margolis, director of the bone marrow transplant program at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Among the guests on hand was Kailee Wells, a 9-year-old bone marrow transplant recipient who is doing well after being given a 20 percent chance of survival due to a rare blood disorder.
In its 12 years, the Quad Open has raised more than $766,000 for health-related charities, including the Ronald McDonald House, the St. Mary’s Burn Center and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Proceeds have been donated exclusively for the research and cure of cancer since 2001.
E-RASING OF TICKETS: How prevalent has the electronic airline ticket become? Well, according to a report in The Washington Times, it will become the exclusive mode of ticketing by the end of 2007.
The paper quoted the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents 265 airlines across the globe, as saying that traditional, hard copy tickets will disappear completely by December of 2007. According to IATA, it costs $10 to issue a paper ticket as opposed to $1 for an e-ticket. The move would save the industry more than $3 billion in printing and processing costs, the Times reported.
Perhaps this cost-cutting move will preclude airlines from having to charge for such amenities as pillows and blankets. Unless you’re bound for Djibouti or another far-off destination, the only perk non-First Class passengers receive is a can of Coke and a bag of trail mix. Clearly, air travel has migrated away from limosine-style service and is now on a par with the subway.
The airline industry isn’t the only one giving paper tickets the gradual heave-ho. After ordering over the Internet, you can now print out your own concert or amusement tickets from your home printer and incur less of a service charge from the ticket distributor. Recipients get their barcoded “tickets” via a PDF attachment.
—ERIK CAGLE
