NAPL

I am writing this column on April 6, 2005. It's about 5:30 a.m. and I have got to finish this thing because Attila the Editor and his nefarious henchman, Chris Bauer, the managing editor, are insisting that they need it today so they can lay out the May edition of the magazine. Reread that last sentence with a whiny insistence in your voice and you will hear what I heard when they called to check on my progress. It's been 61 days since I quit smoking cold turkey and this kind of pressure isn't making it any easier. Now I can't drink—too many empty calories

This is a column about women in the printing industry. I believe that women have far more to contribute than the men in the industry presently allow. I believe that women are, generally, under-recognized and underpaid versus their co-workers who speak in tenor, bass and baritone. Too few females hold senior management positions. Many great ideas go unheard because we live in a man's world. But you know all that. I have written about it before. My friend and arch nemesis column writer for another magazine, Dick Vinocur, characterizes himself openly as a "babe magnet." "BABE MAGNET?" Then I saw two gorgeous 30ish

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

PHOENIX—The weather may not have cooperated, but that didn't dampen the spirits of the 265 people who attended the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) Top Management Conference, held here last month at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort. Even Andrew Paparozzi, NAPL's chief economist, gave a largely sunny forecast in his state-of-the-industry report that kicked off the meeting. Signs that the industry is rebounding: sales increases for four consecutive quarters among NAPL's Printing Business Panel, reports that profitability and pricing levels are up, as well as the fact that printers are hiring again. This, in part, fuels his projections that commercial printing industry sales

I'm sure that you all saw the news report that is reprinted below. MIAMI (Jan. 2)—Popular humorist Dave Barry said Sunday's column for The Miami Herald was his last—maybe. Barry, who has written humor columns for three decades, including 22 years at the Herald, says he's holding out the possibility of a return. But for now, he says, "I want to stop before I join the horde of people who think I used to be funnier. And I want to work on some other stuff." Barry says he will write occasional pieces, weighing in "from time to time if something really important happens, such

This column will take care of some old business. First, I'm going to alert you to a flimflam artist salesperson who is working her scam through any companies that will hire her. Next, I'm going to encourage you to read a great report that has been published by the Printing Industries of Michigan. Finally, I'm going to help you write your 2005 sales resolutions. The scam artist looks like your third grade school teacher—kind of plump and matronly. She claims to be a divorced single parent. This, of course, builds sympathy among potential employers. Rightfully so, it should create sympathy, but it's not true. She is apparently

The Research & Engineering Council of the National Association for Printing Leadership has named Scott Repa, pressroom operations manager at Brown Printing, East Greenville, PA, its third Pressroom Operations Manager of the Year. Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA, has appointed Kevin Cooper, former executive with RR Donnelley, as an assistant professor in the Graphic Communication Department. Cooper comes to Cal Poly with more than 20 years of executive-level experience in the graphic communication industry. His teaching assignments will include strategic management, human resources, supervision and web printing technologies. Also, Michael Cunningham, founder and former CEO and president of Cunningham Graphic International has joined Cal

At the risk of being politically incorrect, I want you to know that Christmastime is my favorite time of the year. I'm a Presbyterian, so we celebrate Christmas. If I was Jewish, I'd be celebrating Hanukkah. If I was African American, I'd be celebrating Kwanza. If I were some other nationality, ethnicity or religion, I'd really be into celebrating whatever is appropriate. If I were agnostic or atheist, I'd probably make up something to celebrate. I think I've covered all the possibilities, so I'm now politically correct and not in violation of the U.S. Constitution or the East Goshen Township Code (where I live and where

Future of Print Extends Beyond PI 400 Printers Although this special issue features our annual ranking of the 400 largest printing companies in the United States and Canada based on annual sales, the future of print itself is a topic that's just as important to the quick printer located in Anytown USA as it is to the establishments that made the Printing Impressions 400 list. Printers of all sizes must unite to support various initiatives that help promote our industry. One still-emerging effort is The Print Council, a business development initiative dedicated to promoting the greater use of print media through education, awareness, market

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor Business is looking up for the commercial printing sector; too bad it has so much ground to make up. Even as the industry's recovery takes hold and grows, it's clear that challenges remain and there have been permanent changes in the competitive landscape. Putting aside personal political views, the re-election of President George W. Bush and the strengthening of a Republican majority in Congress sets clear expectations for the direction of business-related developments in the coming year. "It does take away some uncertainty," agrees Ronnie H. Davis, Ph.D., and chief economist at Printing Industries of America (PIA) in