Commercial printing industry news briefs, including items Vertis, RR Donnelley, Böwe Bell + Howell, SourceLink, American Litho, Berlin Industries, MSP Digital Marketing, Domtar Corp., Tigner Printing and Mercury Print Productions.
BALTIMORE—Direct mail printing specialist Vertis Communications has installed a new Goss Sunday 2000 press in its direct marketing facility in Chalfont, PA. The technology will enable hyper-personalized marketing for its major clients, including American Express, Macy’s, Citigroup, Chrysler and Ford.
NEW YORK—More than 500 people packed Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on September 10 to pay tribute to this year’s printing, publishing and advertising luminaries during the annual Franklin Event, hosted by the Printing Industries Alliance (PIA). PIA/GATF President and CEO Michael Makin presented the new Industry Recognition Award to U.S. Public Printer Robert Tapella (he was not in attendance due to illness). The 2008 Power of Communication Awards were bestowed upon James Hammer, fourth-generation owner of Hammer Packaging (printing); Ken Lantz, senior vice president, director of print creative services, at DRAFTFCB (advertising); and Tom Fox, former vice president, manufacturing and technology, American Express
NEW YORK—Hammer Packaging’s James Hammer will receive the Power of Communications Award for Printing at the 2008 Franklin Event, to be held September 10 at Chelsea Piers in the Big Apple. The Franklin Event will attract about 500 CEOs and senior executives from the printing, publishing, advertising and graphic arts-related industries. During the gala, the prestigious Franklin Award for Distinguished Service will be given, though event host Printing Industries Alliance (PIA) would not divulge the recipient. Also receiving Power of Communications Awards for other sectors are Ken Lantz, DRAFTFCB-New York (advertising), and Tom Fox, American Express Publishing/Time Inc. (publishing). Winner of the John Peter
NEW YORK CITY—Printing Industries Alliance (PIA) will hold its 2008 Franklin Event on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 (5:30-9:30 pm, note new extended closing time) at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers, New York City. Delivering the news to a room of more than 50 top industry executives at Manhattan’s famed Friars Club on May 15th, PIA President Tim Freeman noted that more than 500 CEOs and senior executives from the printing, advertising, publishing and graphic arts related sectors are expected to attend. Last year’s gala was standing room only. “Our entire Board of Directors congratulates this year’s honorees,” said PIA Vice Chairman Ted Hansen
THIS SPECIAL editorial section was produced to tie in with the upcoming sixth annual PIA/GATF Variable Data and Personalization Conference, to be held November 3 to 6 in Phoenix. The event will feature two dozen sessions to help companies leverage variable data for success. Attendees will hear riveting case studies and participate in sessions selected directly by prospective attendees during online voting earlier this year. As one attendee said last year, “This is the type of conference that puts all the variables of variable printing into one comprehensive program. I learned more at this conference than I ever expected.” Sessions for decision makers include
At 2:05 a.m. on February 5, 2005, I lost a lover and a friend. We'd been together nearly 50 years. We met at age 12 in the woods behind Richard Lanier's house in Brooksville, FL. From that point forward, we were never far apart and we grew closer as time passed. At first, our courtship was casual and irregular. We had sweet and awkward, clandestine trysts. We were carefully secretive in my teens. The meetings were often passionate and sometimes left me dizzy, reeling and breathless. We stepped boldly out of the closet at age 20 and had a 42-year intimate relationship. We
Bad Promos, Unexpected Surprises By Erik Cagle The flooor supervisor sat directly across from me, looked me straight in the eye and uttered, "We're no different than any other printer." This response to a stock question, "What sets your company apart from its competitors?" confirmed two things: one, this is the last friggin' time I'm taking a road trip to do an onsite interview. Two, in his wise-ass manner, this goof was at least half correct. Printers can have FTP sites to accept PDF files into sophisticated front-end systems that feed state-of-the-art presses with all the in-line accoutrements you can think of,
by Caroline Miller There is a simple, yet elegant, black brochure that greets every potential Graphic Arts Center (GAC) customer. On the cover it proudly proclaims, "Better Living Through Printing." It's a concept that packs a powerful punch for this $85 million company based in Portland, OR. GAC believes that it can improve the lives of its customers through a winning combination of superior equipment, employee know-how, cutting-edge technology, impressive service, delivery and value. It's proven to be the company's key to success. GAC plans to celebrate its centennial later this year. Over the past 100 years the firm's attention to detail has
HANOVER PARK, IL—The Graphic Systems Div. of Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. recently played host to the third annual Customer Alliance Summit in Miami Beach, FL. The summit was designed as an opportunity for Fujifilm executives and representatives of each area of the graphic arts world to convene to discuss issues and concerns of today, as well as possibilities and plans for tomorrow. The three-day event included representatives from high-powered advertising agencies, people from major corporations like American Express, Hasbro, Kraft and Sony, as well as representatives from renowned publishing houses such as Condé Nast, Hearst and McGraw-Hill. In addition, Fujifilm also invited customers Michael
