Print Video Rocks YouTube Community —Cagle

BITS AND PIECES

WHEN YOU combine new technology with old-school craft and a little in-your-face attitude, the result is side-splitting laughter. And it’s also perhaps the biggest electronic boost for the printing industry.

Pazazz, a commercial and package printer based in Montréal, was looking to put together a fun, if a bit unconventional, promotional video. So Warren Werbitt, president and CEO of Pazazz, donned a company uniform and went on an almost four-minute rant near his loading dock that was reminiscent of Dennis Leary’s hyperactive style. The video, called “Printing’s Alive,” was posted on YouTube and immediately took off. By early February, the video had cleared 70,000 views and earned a rating of four stars out of five. This definitely isn’t your grandfather’s print marketing campaign.

“We have received more than 500 e-mails from people telling us that they laughed so hard, their faces hurt,” notes Lori Cohen, Pazazz marketing director. “The truth is, we work in an old industry with old ways and some old leadership that has yet to ‘get it.’ We need to bring Pazazz into the new age. We need to make printing fun, so we can attract young and creative people.”

Werbitt gets on a roll and doesn’t let up. He dispels a few myths, including “Steve Guttenberg didn’t invent the printing press.” He professes his love for ink, claiming that “I like to spread it on my toast like (expletive) nutella,” and “OK, I drank some once. Big deal, who hasn’t?” Werbitt defends printing as a craft and scoffs at the computer’s role in making print obsolete.

“Can you string a computer across the wall that says ‘Happy Birthday’?” he asks.

But we don’t want to give too much away. The video ends with a group of Pazazz employees, Werbitt included, tearfully waving goodbye to a finished print job as it is trucked off to the customer.

“Every society has its martyrs...it’s our burden to carry, and we do it with pride,” Werbitt exclaims.

Cohen points out that “Printing’s Alive” is an ideal fit for Pazazz’s culture. “We’re not your ordinary print shop,” she says. “We’re a young, dynamic company. We work hard at Pazazz but, as you can see, we play hard, too, and have fun.”

The address to check out the video is http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=VpAuDrs5ocg .

SMOOTH SAILING: Stock car racing is not the only sport that’s partnering with the graphic arts community on sponsorship opportunities. US Sailing, the sport’s national governing body, has signed a multiyear contract with Salt Lake City-based AlphaGraphics to be the first title sponsor for the U.S. Sailing Team. As a result, it will now be known as US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics.

The team annually recognizes the top three athletes in the classes selected for the next Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The agreement, which runs through 2012, includes direct financial support for the team, along with visual communications and marketing support for individual team members from AlphaGraphics locations.

INK HITS SPOT: Digital solutions provider Kornit Digital has received approval for digital printing on baby clothes.

Israel-based Kornit secured the go-ahead from Oeko-Tex, the International Association for Research and Testing in the Field of Textile Ecology (that gives CIP4 a run for its acronymic money). Kornit’s team of chemists conducted intensive R&D of high-end pigmented inks and chemical formulations for the garment applications. The result is a baby-friendly V 201 white ink.

The company’s digitally printed cotton and polyester fabrics meet the human-ecological requirements for baby articles. And, they also help satisfy the growing market for babies’ printed apparels. Now you can get those bibs with “spit happens” printed on them out to customers quicker than your competitors can.

KODAK MOMENT: Ryan Newman used a push from teammate Kurt Busch to pick up an impressive victory during the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on February 17. Eastman Kodak, through its Kodak Motorsports, is the secondary sponsor for Newman.

The Kodak colors will fly as primary sponsor on June 8 at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA. It is the first of eight NASCAR Sprint Cup events that will see the Kodak paint scheme on Newman’s car.

—Erik Cagle