March 2007 Issue
4Over Inc. — A Trade Success
THERE IS a popular adage among printing industry companies that seek to become all things to all print buyers. Their standard rally cry promises, “We never say no to our customers.” In other words, at the risk of offending your intelligence, these printers offer virtually every product and service imaginable. And no matter how bad the print buyer screws up or unreasonable the request, the “don’t say no” printer is there to make the impossible become reality. For the “don’t say no, can’t say no and wouldn’t know how to say no if I wanted to say no,” printer, this philosophy is a distinguishing
ACROSS the nation
West Coast Bindery Folds Faster LOS ANGELES—Hart Bindery, a trade shop serving color houses, ad agencies, and web and sheetfed printers, recently installed a Vijuk–G&K V-14 commercial/miniature folder. Replacing three existing folders, the V-14 is being used to fold small leaflets to accommodate Hart’s pharmaceutical customers. Iowa Printer Seeks Perfection LOGAN, IA—Specializing in school textbooks and workbooks, Perfection Press has upgraded its printing capabilities with the purchase of a four-color Heidelberg Printmaster PM 74 perfector. ARIZONA PHOENIX—A new four-color Heidelberg Printmaster PM 52 is now in operation at direct mail operation United Printing & Mailing. Steve Woods Printing Co., also based in
Active Cenveo Buys Printegra
STAMFORD, CT—Cenveo has dipped its feet in the acquisition pond again, obtaining Printegra Corp., of Peachtree City, GA, from Huron Capital Partners for an undisclosed amount of cash. Printegra has two divisions, National Imprint and Synergy Label, with 14 manufacturing facilities across the country. The company, which specializes in short-run printing, posts annual sales of roughly $90 million. It produces labels, business forms, envelopes and security documents, among other products. “This strategic acquisition immediately establishes Cenveo as the leader in the growing market for short run and highly customized printed products,” said Bob Burton, Cenveo chairman and CEO, in a release. “The combination of these market
BINDERY matters
Western States Nabs New Cutter BUTLER, WI—Western States Envelope & Label installed a new Polar 155 XT in its cutting department here, replacing an older model. Since installing the paper cutter a few months ago, the company has experienced less downtime and faster turnaround. These results are important to the success of this 24 hour-a-day plant, which produces more than seven million envelopes each day. Because of these results, Western States’ Ohio division decided to increase its capacity by purchasing a new Polar 155 XT, as well. The company, founded in 1908, has divisions in Wisconsin, Kentucky, Ohio and Minnesota, with more than 700 employees
Data Management — Takin’ Care of Info
NAME, STREET address, city, state and ZIP code. OK, so you know where the end user lives; heck, the direct mail piece may actually end up in his/her hands. But while the piece may have made its destination, did the print buyer truly deliver with its message? And did you, the printer, help ensure that this message went to a recipient that gives a hoot about your client’s product or service? Frankly, if your message whiffs on the intended audience count, it doesn’t matter if the mailed piece even knows how to ring the recipient’s doorbell. “No matter how good the direct mail piece
Dayton Newspapers Installs First Two-up Heidelberg Long Perfector in North America
Kennesaw, GA—March 22, 2007—Heidelberg is pleased to announce that Dayton Newspapers of Franklin, Ohio, recently installed a Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 52 8-color perfector with Prinect Axis Control color measuring system. The new press will handle the production of color pre-prints for insertion into four daily and six weekly newspaper publications. It is the first installation of this powerful small-format long perfector in North America. Dayton Newspapers initially entered the sheetfed printing business as an extension of its newspaper pre-print inserting operation. At the time, the company’s goal was to print 8.5 x 11” single-sheet inserts in two-up configuration for its advertisers. Based on its
DIGITAL digest
HP Indigo Press Users Get the Scoop TAMPA, FL—There were no signs of the terrible twos or growing pains at the 2007 Dscoop Annual Conference, just the second users meeting for this group of HP Indigo press owners. Total registration was nearly double that of the inaugural event last year. A greater focus on the packaging and label printing market segments contributed to a spike in attendance to around 750 people. The keynote address by NFL Hall of Fame Coach Marv Levy kicked off the conference sessions. Levy used anecdotes from his coaching days to relate his philosophies on people management and motivation. Following
End of Era for This Printer —Cagle
BITS AND PIECES AMAZING HOW something that took a lifetime to build up can fade away in a matter of minutes. Such was the case for Tom Biehl, an owner of a small printing shop in the Pittsburgh suburb of Cheswick, PA. Biehl, 53, had worked 20 years to put his own signature on Biehl Printing. The shop, in a detached garage behind Biehl’s home, was started by his father in 1958. The elder Biehl ran it for 20 years before turning it over to Tom. In roughly one hour on January 22, a fire leveled the operation. Two fire departments battled for
Environmental Practices — Going Green Drives Sales
IT’S HARD not to be skeptical about the movement toward acting in an environmentally responsible way. Isn’t sustainability just a redux of the push to use recycled paper that fell far short of the goal? What about those stories of recyclables still ending up in landfills, now just in pretty blue bags? Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” documentary may have garnered an Academy Award nomination, but it’s likely just speaking to the converted…and how many of them still drove an SUV to see the movie or rent the DVD? How can anyone be sure that electricity really is being generated by wind power, and
Fire Ruins Freeport Press Office
FREEPORT, OH—A major electrical fire struck the main office of Freeport Press on February 3, destroying the entire office building. The manufacturing facilities, connected by a passageway, sustained only slight water damage. Freeport Press was evacuated when the fire began around 11 a.m. A dozen fire departments helped put out the blaze and they remained on the scene for six hours. Owner Dave Pilcher Sr. says the fire caused about $600,000 in damage. But no one was injured. “We are grateful to the Lord that there was no loss of life or injury to personnel,” Pilcher notes. Freeport Press’ two most critical servers were rescued from the flames,
Fulfillment Services— Are Printers ‘Getting It’?
ARE PRINTERS ‘getting it’? What does that mean? Does it mean that they are not diversifying by utilizing fulfillment? The answer is an emphatic no. In fact, more and more printing companies are entering the fulfillment business sector to make their companies more viable in the future. The promised reward for printers diversifying into fulfillment is that it takes them out of the commodity-driven print marketplace. That selling these solutions will take the focus off of print pricing, and that both print volumes and profit margins will increase with print/fulfillment clients. I can report this, in fact, to be a true statement. Fulfillment
Globe Takes Printer to Court
BOSTON—The Boston Globe filed suit against a Wilmington, MA-based printer and six of its employees, seeking sanctions that would prevent them from using proprietary business information and trade secrets allegedly lifted from the paper’s direct marketing subsidiary, Globe Direct. The suit contends that all six employees recently resigned from Globe Direct and accepted positions with Kirkwood Printing, where they helped start Kirkwood Direct, a new direct marketing business. The Boston Globe is seeking a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction to prevent “irreparable harm” that could result from the use of the information. The Globe claims that six former employees of Globe Direct conspired for months
Haig’s Quality Printing — Betting on Color
AT HAIG’S Quality Printing, the work is all about color. Although CEO Haig Atamian modestly describes the company as “a typical commercial printer,” Haig’s serves the entertainment industry and casinos, as well as the U.S. government and many nationwide corporations—customers who are known for exacting standards and an eye for detail. To satisfy what can be very particular demands, Haig’s uses stochastic screening, the six-color Hexachrome process and Van Son’s Vs Series inks to produce the vivid and dynamic color the company calls “dimensional printing.” In 1993, when the printer moved from Palm Springs, CA, to set up an all-new shop in Las
Investigating Harassment Complaints —Fiorenza
WHEN AN employer learns of possible sexual harassment in the workplace, a prompt investigation is crucial. According to court decisions, an employer has a legal duty to investigate all complaints of harassment. Some courts have even ruled that employers have a duty to investigate, even where the victim reporting the incident has stated an investigation is unnecessary. Employers would be wise to investigate any time harassment is suspected, including when there is no formal complaint pending. Even if the employer has no chance of avoiding liability for the conduct entirely, timely investigations and corrective measures can reduce the size of the award that a
Job Workflow — Ending the Digital Divide
FROM THE workflow and business standpoints, there’s becoming less of a need to make a distinction between digital and offset printing. New tools are bringing together the formally divided file processing paths, and digital devices are becoming standard equipment for more offset shops. With concerns about quality largely assuaged, it’s all becoming just printing under one service umbrella. The one exception is variable data printing, which remains somewhat of a special case from a production standpoint due to the processing required to integrate content from databases. The market that Western Graphics, St. Paul, MN, is targeting with all of its services (digital or offset)
Lightning Source — Electrified Book Production
BY APPLYING advanced digital printing and workflow technologies to customer needs since 1997, Lightning Source has sent a current through the publishing industry. It’s charged a new business model and unheard of speed for delivery of one-off books based on print-on-demand (POD) manufacturing. POD means a customer orders the number of books needed, even if that’s only a single copy. Economically speaking, a title need never go out of print. “Our mission is to be the global leader in on-demand solutions for the book publishing industry,” proclaims Kirby Best, Lightning Source’s president and CEO. Those solutions include maintaining a digital library for publishers, offering
Mailing & Fulfillment Special Report — Rate Case Realities
FOR THOSE of us who work in the postal world every day, a rate case is an interesting but not overwhelming event. Most of us generally understand where it comes from, how it’s litigated and what it all means in the end. But for many professionals—such as printers—who may be less directly involved in the production of mail, the arcana of postal matters gets even murkier when there’s a rate case. So, as the current case is drawing to a close, it might be useful to step back, consider what it’s all about and draw some general conclusions. First, don’t get confused by the
New Demands Result From Print-on-Demand —Michelson
FORGET ABOUT the quality from your digital output device. Don’t stress over maximum rated print speeds. As the digital printing juggernaut continues to take hold, those embracing the technology face more pressing concerns. Industry wisdom proclaims that the successful companies are those able to morph from being printing operations into marketing or communications businesses that, by the way, also happen to provide printing. It’s an oft-repeated message evangelized by speakers at almost any conference or seminar focused on digital and variable data printing. But what does it really entail? Re-engineering your printing business requires different skill sets. Equipment, and even service, capabilities are secondary
Newspaper Changes Include Investments
ATLANTA—With an eye toward shifting technology, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) is investing $30 million to enhance its printing facility while also trimming 80 newsroom jobs and shedding some circulation territory. The investment will go towards adding color towers on four of its TKS printing presses at the company’s Gwinnett County, GA, facility. The AJC plans to close its downtown Atlanta printing plant in two years. The moves are expected to help the paper offer more color pages and simplify the production process. Another $12 million is being invested in a computer system that will bolster the classified advertising department. The AJC has also decided to be stricter
Perfect Printing — Digital Is Perfect Solution
IT’S NOT that ‘digital’ is an unsavory term around the pressroom at Perfect Printing of Moorestown, NJ. But when their salespeople call upon potential customers, some more choice words are used. “We don’t sell the digital,” notes Joe Olivo, president of Perfect Printing. “We tell customers we can offer improved turnaround times, improved finishing capabilities and even an improved array of products.” Olivo might not be selling digital, but his family owned company recently bought the digital. Perfect Printing acquired Blaze Digital Printing of nearby Lumberton, NJ—a fledgling provider of on-demand booklets that boasted a staff of veteran digital experts. The deal closed the
PERSONAL bests
Imitation Breeds Success Variable data has won many converts in the design and marketing communities, but the selling cycle for prospects typically still involves an education process. The easiest way to sell this marketing approach is to show a potential user how a competitor is exploiting the technique to its advantage. If there is a prospect for which variable data should be a “no brainer” it is the company that sells through a decentralized network of sales reps, dealers or agents who will benefit from being able to order smaller quantities of marketing materials that they can customize and personalize for their prospects. Even
Primary Color — A Change of Scenery
THE DESIRE to order all new furniture is almost a reflex reaction for anyone who moves into a new home. After all, who wants to drag a drab, worn-down old sectional into a beautiful new living room? For Primary Color, the addition of new “furniture” when it relocates from the California towns of Culver City and Irvine to El Segundo and Costa Mesa is not intended as a cosmetic enhancement. The company has opted to pick up stakes due to a growing problem, which is not a problem as much as it is an opportunity. Primary Color saw its growth skyrocket by 20 percent
PRINTER news
IPA, the Association of Graphic Solutions Providers, has elected Bob Childs, COO of Digital Color Image, Pennsauken, NJ, to serve as its chairman of the board. The following officers were also elected: 1st vice chair, Gail Ludewig, president and CEO, TotalWorks, Chicago; and 2nd vice chair, Chip Harding, vice president and COO, Harper House, Dallas. David Schawk, Schawk Inc., Des Plaines, IL, is past chairman, Roni Buczynski, managing director, Vertis, North Haven, CT, serves as IPA treasurer; and Kent Hatterick, Beck: Premedia Workflow Compression, Atlanta, is secretary. Hess Print Solutions, a Wellspring Capital Management company, announced that Daniel Bach has assumed the new position of
Printers’ Web Presence — It’s All About PURLs
AS PRINT providers look to transform their businesses from primarily print-based to a broader range of marketing services, the Internet is becoming an increasingly important part of their business model. For some, that means adding Web design as part of their creative and design offerings. For others, it means adding Web-to-print, whether for ordering static documents or for allowing customers to customize—even personalize—documents based on templates. But while Web-to-print, as an umbrella category, has been getting a lot of attention, another Internet-driven application is rapidly gaining momentum—the ability to use cross-media technology to create personalized URLs (or PURLs), which send recipients of print
Secret Elections Challenged
New legislation introduced in Congress would strip away workers’ rights to a federally supervised secret ballot election when deciding whether or not to join a union, leaving workers far more vulnerable to coercion and intimidation during union organizing drives. The “Employee Free Choice Act,” introduced by Rep. George Miller (D-CA), would replace secret ballot elections with a process called “card check” where a union is recognized in a workplace if a majority of workers sign a card in the presence of union organizers. Under the card check process, the identity of workers who signed (or refused to sign) organizing cards would be made public to
