NAPL

Don Gecks has joined Hi-Liter Graphics, Burlington, WI, as vice president of operations. Gecks was formally an executive in charge of operations at S. Rosenthal & Co., Cincinnati. Gary Stafford has been promoted to executive vice president for Lazer Inc., Rochester, NY. In his most recent position, he served as senior vice president, managed the sales team, served as CTO and led the company's recent expansions. Dave Moser has been promoted to vice president of sales for Perfect Plastic Printing, St. Charles, IL. Moser has spent the past three years with the company as director of world sales. Julie Metzger has joined the sales

Meridian Printing Wins Gold Award NEW YORK CITY—Meridian Printing won the coveted 2003 Sappi North American Printer of the Year award at an elegant, black-tie awards gala held here on October 10. The East Greenwich, RI-based printer was acclaimed for excellence of printing craftsmanship in its production of the "100 years of Harley Davidson" book, which was printed on 100-lb. Sappi Porcelain Dull Text paper. The 275,000-copy run—for publisher Melcher Media—was printed four-color process with varnish at 250 line screen on Meridian's Heidelberg CD sheetfed press. As the Sappi North American Printer of the Year winner, Meridian received a trophy and a handcrafted gold medallion. The event, appropriately

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor The evolution of the commercial printer Website has been an interesting journey. Initially, many printers bought into the "me, too" mentality of Internet accessibility. The catch phrase of 1997 may have been, "We have an Internet presence, as well." To not have a "presence" was to sneer in the face of technology—your thinking was inside the box and your paradigm certainly wasn't shifting anytime soon. It just wasn't proactive, darn it! If being techno hip wasn't bad enough, the Website took a narcissistic turn for the worse. Who needs substance when you have flash (make that Flash)? Home page greetings,

Clients and Suppliers Seen as Extensions of Print Operations PHILADELPHIA—According to the final count, this year's 5th Annual Digital Smart Factory Forum drew nearly 100 attendees here from across the country. The event is sponsored by the Research and Engineering Council of NAPL. A "digital smart factory" is an environment in which information technology (IT) is strategically applied across the printer enterprise to integrate manufacturing, business and customer-interfacing systems, according to the forum's sponsor. At this year's edition, a number of speakers stressed the importance of extending the concept beyond the print operation to include both ends of the supply chain—customers and suppliers. "While

The past three years have been horrendously bad for the printing industry. Some industry experts say that printing market conditions were the worst in 40 years. I heard horror stories every day. I witnessed bankruptcies, I saw lost jobs and I grieved over padlocked companies. It was depressing and I considered buying an ocean-side bar in the Caribbean, or joining a traveling carnival, or running for governor of California (who cares that I reside in Pennsylvania?) or developing an online psychotherapy Website for unemployed printers. I was committed, however, to sticking it out because I had sponsored The Second Great American Print Sales Prospecting

The National Council for Skill Standards in Graphic Communications has announced the retirement of W.H. "Bill" Smith, current managing director, as well as the relocation of the council from its existing Kennebunk, ME, headquarters to the Harry V. Quadracci Printing & Graphics Center in Pewaukee, WI. Edmond Kelley, immediate past board chairman, will become the managing director upon Smith's retirement. Elizabeth Meyer and Sandra Michael have joined York, PA-based Print-O-Stat as regional sales consultants to serve regional office locations for the 49-year-old firm. They both come to Print-O-Stat with strong backgrounds in sales, marketing and management. IPA, the Association of Graphic Solutions Providers, announced that Clarence

Printcafe Stockholders File Suit PITTSBURGH—Printcafe Software shareholders have filed a class action lawsuit against the company alleging, among other things, that Printcafe made false and misleading statements in connection with its initial public offering and subsequent press releases through October 22, 2002. Marc Olin, chairman of the board and CEO, and Joseph Whang, CFO and COO, are also named as defendants in the complaint. The lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Hi-Liter Graphics Sold BURLINGTON, WI—Craig Faust, former president of The Printery in New Berlin, WI, has purchased Hi-Liter Graphics, according to The Business

BY MARK SMITH To those outside the graphic arts, the end product of printing probably hasn't seemed to change all that much since the days of Gutenberg. It's still text and images reproduced on paper. The industry generally hasn't been thought of as a hotbed of innovation, at least not until lately. From the mid 1980s and carrying into the '90s, digital technology was said to be revolutionizing printing. But as Printing Impressions magazine marks its 45th year of tracking the industry, a look back over the decades shows an industry in a constant state of change. Some big, some small. It also reveals

By Erik Cagle Don't get Jerry Williamson wrong. The chairman of Dallas-based Williamson Printing loves being involved with printing industry associations. But truth be known, Williamson feels the associations have done as much for him and his company as he has done for them. And that is saying a lot. "If you keep your eyes and ears open, (participating in associations) can be very rewarding," notes Williamson, selected the 2003 recipient of the Harry V. Quadracci VISION award by the Web Offset Association (WOA) of Printing Industries of America. "The friendships and business acquaintances that I've made have been invaluable." The award is given

Kinko's Buys ImageX DALLAS—Kinko's has acquired ImageX for approximately $16.5 million in cash. ImageX finished the fourth quarter with $12.3 million in cash and total assets of $25.2 million. Kinko's will use ImageX's technology to enhance its DocStore and Kinkos.com offerings. Kinko's does not now offer an online system by which customers can order business cards or stationery. But that will change once the acquisition is completed. Watchtower Adds Web Presses WESTMONT, IL—The Watchtower Society of the Jehovah's Witnesses is set to install seven MAN Roland Lithoman web presses in July, with two going to the U.S. and one each slated for Mexico, Brazil, England, South Africa