Perhaps not questions that will come up the next time you play "Trivial Pursuit," but here are some interesting and unusual printing-related historical facts that demonstrate just how an important and transformative role printing has played throughout the ages.
Cheryl Adams
While Hollywood may not actually have a soft spot for printing presses, what it does have is the desire to mimic and relive history (past, present and sci-fi future) through films. Since the printing press has been an important part of history, countless storylines and scripts have included it in some capacity or other.
2
Comments
Indianapolis-based Fineline Printing Group has grown each and every year since its founding in 1981, in spite of various challenges, including the current financial markets crash that has spiralled the nation (if not the world) into an economic tailspin.
ONLY IN A printer's wildest dreams would it imagine being so good at its craft that Fortune 500 clients would request that it build another facility, in another part of the country, because those clients were relocating there. This scenario is reality for the three divisions that comprise The Goodway Group of Companies, headquartered in Jenkintown, PA.
MODERN International Graphics is an FSC-certifed, $15 million, G7 Master Printer with a dozen Fortune 500 clients. But, it’s the way that the company operates—its corporate culture—that is truly exciting for the company’s leaders.
WHEN JOHN Sandstrom passed away in 1990, his eight children were suddenly left in charge of his printing operation. Having grown up in the graphic arts business, the Sandstrom siblings took the reins of their family’s Milwaukee-based business, HM Graphics.
WHILE ALMOST everyone has heard of Merriam-Webster, the dictionary, most people may not be familiar with Merriam-Webster Inc., the publishing company. It publishes millions of dictionaries each year in a variety of styles, including hard cover, soft cover (trade size) and mass-market paperback editions.
When it comes to forecasting the current sheetfed and web offset markets, the biggest threat isn’t just digital technology, it’s the state of the economy. There are some pretty exciting developments going on in the lithographic printing market this year, but that’s the problem. It’s 2009.
INDUSTRY POWERHOUSE Susan Kelly, CEO of San Ramon, CA-based K/P Corp., has been tapped as one of the keynote speakers at Offset and Beyond 2009. Kelly’s name is recognized throughout the printing industry as a veteran printing exec who formerly worked for RR Donnelley, Pitney Bowes and Gannett. She is also the founder of Raine Media, which was acquired by K/P Corp. in 2004. As the 2005 recipient of Printing Industries of America’s Naomi Berber Award, Kelly was honored for the many major contributions she has made throughout her career to the graphic communications industry.
EVEN THOUGH mailing and database management services have been around since the 1980s, a substantial number of printers expanded into this highly technical (and profitable) market as competition heated up with the new millennium. Today, more printers are continuing to invest in these capabilities in spite of—or, perhaps, because of—the bleak economy. After all, the weaker the financial outlook, the more important it is for service providers to ensure a bigger bang for their clients’ shrinking print dollars.
IS THE PRINTER a one-stop-shop? Is work completed in a timely fashion? Does the sales rep keep his/her promises? Is the printing company financially sound? These are some of the questions that Gretchen Morris ponders as the director of Global Catalog Production—and print buyer—at Edmund Optics (EO) America.
MATT ANSON’S quiver runneth over with “green” arrows. His multi-location binding, finishing and packaging company, Bindagraphics, is a mega corporation that has embraced sustainability practices across the board. And, those eco-measures are on time, on target and helping his postpress operation whizz past its competition. With each bulls-eye he hits, Anson is zeroing in on expanding business endeavors, as well as environmental cleanliness.
PEOPLE ARE innately good. As human beings, we cannot help but to feel compassion and empathy for fellow human beings, especially those in need. In our genetic makeup, we want what is best for mankind.
SOMETIMES THE littlest things can mean a lot. Like carefully reading the job order and getting the specs right the first time around. Or, finding innovative ways to turn a problem into an opportunity. Or, providing an honest professional opinion rather than simply trying to close the deal.
SOFTENING SALES. Declining revenues. Cutbacks, layoffs, bankruptcies. Unfortunately, these are the buzz words for 2008—not only for printers, but for most manufacturing segments across the United States.
