June 2018

The Resource for Commercial, Sign & Digital Printing

TOP 100 QUICK & SMALL COMMERCIAL PRINTERS

• INTERACTIVE PRINT • FINISH LIKE A PRO COMES ALIVE WITH • ASSOCIATION AUGMENTED REALITY INSIGHTS BY APTECH

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For more information, visit PrintingNews.com/10008689 June 2018 TOPTable of Contents 100 QUICK & SMALL COMMERCIAL PRINTERS

On the Cover A look at 2018’s Top 100 Quick & Small Commerical Printers in North America. 1100 By Rebecca Flores

16 Finish at the End Columns Inkjet’s Age Edition The latest advancements in finish- 06 Editor’s Note ing equipment are progressing Defi ning Your Vision 24 Playing with Ink and Media the ways that printers are helping By Rebecca Flores their customers work more profit- Machine companies and paper ably and efficiently than ever before. 20 Association Insights suppliers work together to make inkjet’s By Howard Riell challenge with coated substrates A Paradigm Shift a thing of the past. By Thayer Long 18 Augmented Reality By Carol Brzozowski Drives Interest in 21 Digital Original 26 Interactive Print A Look at Recent Trends in Why White Ink is an Prepress Consumers today want to go interact Irreplaceable Tool for PSPs

with brands beyond just a simple By John Giles When white ink is working at full purchase; they are looking to be part capacity it provides numerous benefi ts the brand story. Here’s a look at a wine to Print Service Providers. brand using AR to make that possible. By Amanda Luz Henning Santiago By Joann Whitcher 28 Top Tips on Successful Departments Print & Mail Marketing Marketing advice for print and mail 08 Printing Pulse service providers. By Patrick Whelan 29 New Products 30 Classifi eds/Supplier Directory

Search for us... @PrintingNews Printing News Printing News PrintingNews.com SOCIAL MEDIA & ONLINE CONTENT

PrintingNewscom June 2018  Printing News 3 In the Know PrintingNews.com Featured Publication Social Media

June 2018 Printing News Events: The Resource for Commercial, Sign & Digital Printing Idealliance G7 Training Don Hutcheson, inventor of G7 and G7 Expert Trainer will lead instruction @PrintingNews covering a multitude of print TOP 100 applications including offset, digital, QUICK & SMALL and proofi ng color management. COMMERCIAL June 12-14, Toronto, ON PrintingNews.com PRINTERS

• INTERACTIVE PRINT • FINISH LIKE A PRO COMES ALIVE WITH • ASSOCIATION AUGMENTED REALITY INSIGHTS BY APTECH Print & Packaging Legislative Summit Printing News PaperSpecs.com | Paper Inspiration #327: Alex Joseph Clothing This signature government affairs PrintingNews.com/12383645 conference brings together industry stakeholders and Members of ince 1928, Printing News has Congress for a powerful program of focused on improving effi- issue advocacy, political education, ciency and increasing sales public affairs discussions, and S networking events. and profi ts in the print shop. In- June 19-20, Washington, D.C. dustry experts share their ideas and technical knowledge on ways ISA Converge Published by to improve operations. SouthComm ISA Converge is the only industry Business Media, Inc. Sister Publications networking conference exclusively PO Box 803 • 1233 Janesville Ave for on-premise sign company Fort Atkinson WI 53538 suppliers, distributors and national 920-563-6388 • 800-547-7377 sign companies. Vol. 41, No. 9 June 19-21, Seattle, WA Group Publisher Focusing on Production Inkjet's Next Frontier Kelley Holmes [email protected] | 800-616-2252 x8511 • Top Tips on Exclusive Section Successful Print & Mail Managing Editor Marketing • Why White Rebecca Flores [email protected] | 800-616-2252 x8506 Ink is an Irreplaceable Tool for PSPs Associate Editor Amanda Santiago [email protected] | 800-616-2252 x2739 PrintingNews.com Contributing Writers Tom Crouser Howard Riell Patrick Whalen David Fellman Jeffrey Steele Joann Whitcher PLAYING John Giles Heidi Tolliver-Walker Joe Rickard Laurie Weller WITH INK &

60-Second Super-Cool Fold of the MEDIA Week #409 Account Executive PrintingNews.com/12380206 Paul Zimmerman [email protected] | 800-616.2252 x8515 Inkjet’s Age focuses on the issues Production Manager surrounding inkjet printing Connie Wolf [email protected] | 800-616-2252 x1679 technology. It covers the indus- Art Director try news, trends, products, ser- PrintingNews.com—the web portal Barbara Pineiro BPineiro@ SouthComm.com | 800-616-2252 x6316 vices, and management issues representing content from Printing News, Circulation that will help printers grow Wide-Format & Signage, and Inkjet’s Age—is Jackie Dandoy [email protected] | 800-547-7377 x1711 For change of address or subscription information, business using this technology. devoted to delivering you timely news and call 877/382-9187, fax 920/563-1704, or multimedia content on a daily basis. [email protected] SOUTHCOMM, INC CEO – Blair Johnson June 2018 Printing News (ISSN 0191-4588) (USPS 500-850) Volume 41, Number 9 is CFO – Bob Mahoney published ten times per year in January, April, April, May, June, August, VP, Production Operations – Curt Pordes The Premier Source for the Visual Communications Industry September, October, November and December by SouthComm Business Media, LLC, at 1233 Janesville Avenue, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Periodicals postage VP, Technology – Eric Kammerzelt paid at Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 and additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER: Send VP, Marketing – Gerry Whitty 20018 Bese t address changes to Printing News, PO Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257. Canada of theh Besst: Post PM40612608. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Printing News, Subscription Customer Service PO Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. Subscriptions: Individual subscriptions are available without charge in the U.S. to qualifi ed subscribers. Publisher reserves the 877-382-9187; 847-559-7598 right to reject non-qualifi ed subscriptions. Subscription prices: U.S. $47 per year, [email protected] (see attached list) $91 two year; Canada/Mexico $69 per year, $128 two year. All other countries PO Box 3257 • Northbrook IL 60065-3257 $101 per year, $191 two year. All subscriptions payable in U.S. funds, drawn on U.S. bank. Canadian GST#842773848. Back issue $10 prepaid, if available. Printed in the Article Reprints USA. Copyright 2018 SouthComm Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved. No part Miami Trolleys | Armani Brett Petillo Exchange at Art Basel of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, Application Spotlight: Image 360 Project of the Year • Digital Printing & Decor PrintingNews.com/12411217 electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recordings or any information Wright’s Media 877-652-5295, ext. 118 storage or retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. SouthComm [email protected] Business Media, LLC does not assume and herby disclaims any liability to any person Wide-Format & Signage is the business and or company for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident or any technology resource for corporate and senior other cause whatsoever. The views and opinions in the articles herein are not to be taken as offi cial expressions of the publishers, unless so stated. The publishers do management focusing on issues across the not warrant, either expressly or by implication, the factual accuracy of the articles herein, nor do they so warrant any views or opinions offered by the authors of wide-format and grand-format markets. said articles.

4 Printing News  June 2018 PrintingNewscom Finishing 4.0

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If you want to offer your customers true one-off, print on demand and short-run batch production, look no further than Muller Martini’s Vareo perfect binder. It has an excellent price-performance ratio, and its Motion Control Vareo platform delivers unprecedented efficiencies. Perfect Binder • Optimal process reliability with Adhesive Monitoring Muller Martini’s unmatched System (AMS), and cover to content validation. systems, support and service • Most advanced thickness-variable PUR nozzle have led the future of finishing technology available. for over 70 years. • Best-in-class book quality, regardless of digital or offset print production. Finishing 4.0 engineering includes: • Greatest net throughput achieved through automatic • Motion Control technology. infeed. • Intelligent, labor-saving automation. • Zero makeready for variable products, including • Simple intuitive user interfaces. photobooks, personalized catalogs, and brochures. • Unprecedented quality. • Modular solutions designed for Great news! A Vareo is now more affordable than ever future growth. before. Call your Muller Martini Regional Sales Manager • Factory-trained service technicians and ask about the Vareo Standard. and outstanding support.

For more information, visit PrintingNews.com/10006773 1.888.2MULLER www.mullermartiniusa.com Editor’s Note Define Your Vision There’s a lot to be said about the industry and where it’s going. However, there’s an unspoken value in taking the questions facing the industry at large and asking them of our own business pursuits.

arlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend the annual Xeikon Cafe in Chicago. As I got to learn about Xeikon’s latest developments in technology, as well as E their increased focus on high value specialized segments, I listened to Andy Paparazzi, Chief Economist and SVP at Idealliance, discuss a macro-level upturn in the print industry over the last seven years. Since 2011, print has experienced a 5.9% increase in sales. Th e industry is steadily climbing as innovative commercial print owners take the opportunities technology has provided to them to serve clients more effi ciently without compromising value. Increasingly, commercial print owners explore are discovering they must rethink not the realm only their technology, but also their labor of interactive print. Th e challenge that Rebecca Flores force, their value propositions, their suite print commercial owners are tasked with Managing Editor of customized solutions, and their sales is defi ning their own story so that eff orts to opportunities. implement new technology aren’t an attempt Rebecca Flores is an editorial In this issue, you’ll have the opportunity to throw paint at a wall, but rather a strategic professional with more than 7 years experience in to look at the numbers reported by our initiative that is part of a larger vision. content management, 2018 Top 100 Quick and Small Commercial As you look this issue, I hope you ask corporate communications, Printers, as well as glean key fi ndings from yourself and in turn, those leading alongside and leadership. With a demonstrated history of success their proven success. you, “Who do we want to be? What is our in writing and editing, in addition In addition to these key insights, you can story?” It’s in those answers that you’ll fi nd to a keen insight for current trends, turn to page 18 to learn about how Treasury an opportunity to bring your vision to life. she brings an energized approach to coverage of the print and Wine Estates is capitalizing on the advent of Technology and the many innovations graphics industry. Email Rebecca at technology, augmented reality in particular, discussed in these pages will simply be the [email protected]. to drive interest in print. When is the last carriers that help you arrive. time you “interacted” with a wine label? Over and over again, the consumer experience is being expanded to go beyond the purchase point and bring one into the part of a story. Marketers and brands continue to

Ink & Media Without Limits

From automotive parts to suitcases, there are very few items that cannot serve as a substrate for printing given the advances in ink and processes that have been the driving factor in expanding the possibilities. Turn to page 24 to learn more as Carol Brzozowski discusses these with industry experts. Find this article at PrintingNews.com/12413261

6 Printing News  June 2018 PrintingNewscom For more information, visit PrintingNews.com/10006967 Printing Pulse

Creative Edge Software Showcases Real-Time Ray Tracing for iC3D at Leading Shows in May

Game-changing render capabilities take center stage at Luxe Pack New York and Packaging Premiere, Milan. Creative Edge Soft wares showcased its latest technology breakthrough at parallel events in Milan and New York in May. Th e new iC3D Real-Time Ray Tracer delivers instantaneous rendering of highest quality images for immediate visualiza- tion of even the most complex designs on-the-fl y. Th e Real-Time Ray Tracer will shortly be available as a free, automatic upgrade (version 5.2), for users with an iC3D soft - HP Inc. Survey Reveals ware maintenance agreement (SMA) and builds on key ren- Sustainability Tops List dering advancements and distributed rendering capabilities of Incentives for Offi ce enabled in the current iC3D version 5.1 release. Th e technolo- gy works on almost any off -the-shelf Mac or PC in conjunction Workers with an appropriate NVidia or AMD Graphics card. Alterna- tively, Real-Time Ray Tracer performance can also be achieved New survey among U.S., Mexico and on older computers using commonly available external graph- Brazil employees reveal a growing de- ics card (eGPU) to extend graphics capability. mand for resources and education to Using the new iC3D Real-Time Ray Tracer technology, build sustainable workplaces. high-resolution design renders can now be delivered at un- In a new survey from HP Inc. fo- precedented speeds. For example, a high-quality (1024 pxi) cusing on more than 3,000 offi ce ray-traced image, 6000x3500 pixels in size, which would employees in Mexico, U.S. and Brazil, previously have taken 3-4 hours to render, can now be achieved to photorealistic quality sustainability rises to the top as the in 1 minute, 49 seconds using an off -the-shelf PC with Nvidia 1080 Ti graphics card. most important employer off ering. PrintingNews.com/12412282 HP revealed the results as part of the company’s 2018 Americas Innovation Summit. From the survey, sustain- ability is tied with new technology as the #1 most important employer of- Productivity Flourishing at Bourne Brothers with fering across all surveyed countries. Colter & Peterson’s PRISM Paper Cutter It is #1 most important in Brazil and a close second in the U.S. and Mexico, Scott Ruple knew produc- behind new technology. tivity would increase at It’s time for employers to step up. Bourne Brothers once in- Employees are committed, but they stallation of a new 36-inch want to do more. Offi ce workers re- PRISM paper cutter with port high levels of participation in Microcut from Colter & sustainability eff orts such as turning Peterson was completed. off lights to save energy, recycling, What he didn’t quite expect and taking alternative transportation was the level of improve- to work. As important as sustain- ment would continue aft er ability is to offi ce workers, they don’t having the machine for a demonstrate much knowledge about year. Not that he’s com- it; more education is needed around plaining, especially with the environmental impact of printing business doing well at the Hattiesburg, Mississippi large format conventional and dig- to combat common misconceptions, ital print shop. and most underestimate how well Ruple says the keys to success for Bourne Brothers is its fl exibility. Th ey print all their country is doing at meeting its types of work and sizes for a vast of range of customers. Equal amounts of the work Sustainable Development Goals. Few is divided and printed on Xerox 2100 and Sharp digital presses, plus two Ryobi 3302 see printing as an environmental- presses and 4-color PM 74. ly-friendly technology. Th e reason why is the automated Microcut electronics system, which includes a 15- PrintingNews.com/12412800 inch programmable touchscreen. Microcut quickens the process by memorizing cutting sequences for instant recall. Ruple’s crew assigns numbers to each job so Microcut can re- call cut specifi cations when they repeat the job. A 6-inch clamp opening provides room for more material to be trimmed. PrintingNews.com/12412090

8 Printing News  June 2018 PrintingNewscom Printing Pulse Hazen Paper Nabs AIMCAL Product of the Year

Hazen Paper Company’s holo- graphic Kat Von D “Metal Crush” limited-edition powder highlight- er carton was named “Product of the Year” at the 2018 annual meeting of the Association of In- ternational Metallizers Coaters, and Laminators (AIMCAL), held Kodak Expands Global Literacy in Charlotte, North Carolina. Hazen also received “Product Excellence” awards for a Marc Jacobs “Decadence” perfume Program in 2018 box and a Burmester Porsche “Music to your Ears” brochure. Hazen’s carton for Kat Von D features metallized fi lm Kodak announced it is creating a volunteer printer network that laminated to the coated side of 0.020 solid bleached sul- will produce thousands of children’s books and school supplies fate (SBS), with sparkling holography that captures con- in 2018 to benefi t some of the world’s most disadvantaged pop- sumer attention in the department store environment and ulations, using sustainable Kodak printing products, such as refl ects the “Metal Crush” name. Hazen originated the KODAK SONORA Process Free Plates. Last year, Print for Good Color Motion Stardust pattern in the Hazen holographic placed more than 30,000 books and printed materials into the lab, producing the hologram with its “Single-Write” high- hands of thousands of children in communities throughout Eu- speed large-format laser system. “It really jumps out,” rope, the United States, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. agreed another, and they concluded, “It’s a beautiful use of Th e Print for Good initiative also saw Kodak employees in the holography and traditional printing.” company’s facilities around the world volunteer to support their PrintingNews.com/12412589 own community literacy initiatives, including participation in local school reading programs. Th is year, Kodak will also establish a new partnership with Room to Read, a global non-profi t focused on literacy and girls’ education in low-income countries. Kodak will support the estab- lishment of Room to Read’s Literacy Program at a primary school in Rajasthan, India, bringing the community access to a safe and child-friendly learning environment. PrintingNews.com/12412600 Quad/Graphics Wins U.S. Bank Credit Card Acquisition Program Quad/Graphics Inc. announced that it has signed a multi- year, multi-million-dollar contract with U.S. Bank to manage credit card acquisition programs for hundreds of its small HTC Global Services Joins and mid-size regional banks. Th e volume for the U.S. Bank programs is signifi cant: more than 70 million data-driven Quadient Partner Program mailpieces annually. Quad, which began production on the programs earlier Quadient announced that HTC Global Services has joined the Quadient this year, is using its state-of-the-art direct mail platform for Partner Advantage Program as a Delivery Partner. Quadient Delivery producing the mailpieces that are hyper-personalized with Partners have functional and technical product expertise along with data elements highly relevant to each individual recipient to vertical industry experience to provide implementation and support increase engagement and inspire action. In addition, Quad services that augment the global reach of Quadient’s Professional Ser- will engage its delivery optimization services to lower post- vices Organization (PSO). Th e Quadient Partner Advantage Program fa- age costs, reduce mail handling and cycle times, and off er cilitates speedy integration of new and emerging CCM technology into more predictable, in-home arrival intelligence. production. It does this by leveraging the extensive assets and skills of Quad’s direct mail platform includes multiple digital its partners to enable organizations to develop better experiences for presses with inline fi nishing systems, including UV and their customers. aqueous coating, folding, die cutting, gluing, pop-ups, nest- HTC Global Services (HTC) is a leading global provider of IT ed sets and more. Additionally, Quad’s platform allows mar- and Business Process Services and Solutions. HTC’s IT services are keters to incorporate multiple substrates into complex and backed by talented professionals with extensive domain and techni- eye-catching formats to ensure their mailpieces stand out in cal expertise, global presence, large delivery centers and compliance the mailbox and from their competition. to SEI CMM Level 5, ISO 9001, ISO 27001 and PCI DSS standards. PrintingNews.com/12411341 PrintingNews.com/12410613

PrintingNewscom June 2018  Printing News 9 2018 Annual Top 100 Quick & Small Commercial Printers

Every year, Printing News invites commercial print owners to participate in the Top 100 Quick & Small Commercial Printers survey. This survey takes a look at the state of the industry as presented by commercial print owners across North America. As the fi gures for 2017 would confi rm, it was indeed a healthy year for print in total sales reported of $ 652,624,639.

hief Economist and Senior Vice President at Idealliance, Andy Paparozzi, Finding Opportunities to best describes the state of commercial printing’s performance in 2017 as Thrive an upturn that oft en hasn’t felt quite like an upturn. “Activity picks up but Mike Duggal of Duggal Visual Solu- C doesn’t stay up, creating a plodding advance with limited pricing power, tions (#1 in our Top 100) credits an persistent pressure on margins, and the heightened uncertainty that complicates obsession with quality and having the hiring and investment decisions and makes eff ective planning even more challeng- latest technology to off er customers as ing,” said Paparozzi. two top keys to the success of his busi- ness. “Having diverse service off er- Based on the economic performance this healthy economic environment to ings at a large scale allows us to off er within print for the fi rst quarter of secure a competitive advantage. a complete solution,” said Duggal. 2018, projections of growth between Th e following businesses made this Increasingly, commercial print 2%-3% are expected—keeping this year’s Top Ten: owners are discovering they must industry upturn at a slow but consistent • Duggal Visual Solutions (#1) rethink not only their technology, pace. Commercial print owners also • Ironmark (#2) but also their labor force, their value agree they’ve experienced better busi- • Firespring Print, Inc. (#3) propositions, their suite of cus- ness conditions in recent years. “Many • Tapecon, Inc. (#4) tomized solutions, and their sales things can happen to bring this virtu- • Alphaprint, Inc. (#5) opportunities. ous cycle to a premature end. However, • Strategic Factory (#6) Kevin Thomas, Chief Operating a healthy and accelerating economy • Label Impressions, Inc. (#7) Officer at Firespring Print, Inc. (#3) will take our industry with it,” noted Pa- • Alexander’s Print Advantage (#8) agrees: “We credit the success of our parazzi. Industy experts maintain that • Astek, Inc. (#9) business to the willingness to change the real winners will be those who seize • Allegra Marketing Print Mail (#10) gears and fully embrace the change.

How do you expect overall business conditions in 2018 to compare with overall conditions in 2017? March 2018 November 2017 Better 67.40% 61.10% Worse 11.80% 3.60% About the Same 18.70% 28.30% Too Inconsistent to Forecast 2.10% 7.00% Source: Idealliance, State of the Industry Updates

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! "$ !$ +ƻ!$;ˆ;m|ĺ1ol Owners and Producers of PRINT For more information, visit PrintingNews.com/12397774 TOTAL INDUSTRY COMMERCIAL PRINTING SALES

Number of Total Employees Average Sales Average Sales Growth/ Year Rank Company Name City and State Management Locations 2017 Sales (FT+PT) per Employee per Shop Loss Founded 1 Duggal Visual Solutions New York, NY Michael Duggal, CEO 5 79,400,000 385 206,234 15,880,000 10% 1961 2 Ironmark Annapolis Junction, MD Jeff Ostenso, CEO 2 22,500,000 140 160,714 11,250,000 15% 1955 3 Firespring, Inc. Lincoln, NE Jay Wilkinson, Founder, CEO 2 21,792,720 152 143,373 10,896,360 8% 1992 4 Tapecon, Inc. Buffalo, NY Steven Davis, President 1 18,931,392 120 157,762 18,931,392 10% 1919 5 AlphaGraphics Seattle, WA Chuck Stempler, President, CEO 6 18,531,707 94 197,146 3,088,618 3% 1989 6 Strategic Factory Owings Mills , MD Keith Miller, President 1 18,375,663 132 139,210 18,375,663 18% 2000 7 Label Impressions, Inc. Orange, CA Jeff Salisbury, CEO 1 15,600,000 58 268,966 15,600,000 15% 1988 8 Alexander’s Print Advantage Lindon, UT Jeff Alexander, President, CEO 1 15,000,000 125 120,000 15,000,000 18% 1979 9 Astek Inc. Van Nuys, CA Aaron S. Kirsch, President 1 14,000,000 48 291,667 14,000,000 3% 1991 10 Allegra Marketing Print Mail Plymouth, MI Michael Marcantonio, CEO 3 12,535,640 81 154,761 4,178,547 1% 1978 12 Allen Printing Company Nashville, TN Shannon Heffi ngton, CFO 3 12,000,000 115 104,348 4,000,000 9% 1931 13 Speedy CPS LLC Idaho Falls, ID Lynn Nelson, President 6 10,303,166 78 132,092 1,717,194 17% 2006 14 Thompson Print & Mailing Solutions San Antonio, TX David Thompson, President 3 10,126,300 65 155,789 3,375,433 -3% 1964 15 Sir Speedy Printing-Whittier CA Whittier, CA George Coriaty, President 1 9,900,000 29 341,379 9,900,000 -17% 1979 16 Allegra - Asheville, NC Asheville, NC Dave Campbell, President 5 9,709,072 41 236,807 1,941,814 67% 1998 17 ABC Printing Company Chicago, IL Michael Christensen, Steve and 1 9,100,000 17 535,294 9,100,000 12% 1963 RJ Strauss 18 Copy Central (Fairbanks Enterprise) Emeryville, CA Craig Fairbanks, CEO 13 8,360,000 58 144,138 643,077 1.50% 1986 19 Haig Graphic Communications Hauppauge, NY James Kalousdian, President 1 8,300,000 43 193,023 8,300,000 11% 1943 20 Dynamark Graphics Group, Inc. Indianapolis, IN Scott and Tom Fulner, Owners 3 8,005,500 65 123,162 2,668,500 4% 1972 21 Kopytek, Inc. St. Louis, MO John M. Peterson, President 2 7,500,000 41 182,927 3,750,000 6% 1986 22 Stylecraft Printing Company Canton, MI Richard Pesci, President 2 7,500,000 52 144,231 3,750,000 -5% 1966 23 Raintree Graphics Jacksonville, FL Mike Seethaler, President 1 7,160,000 43 166,512 7,160,000 -4% 1989 24 Your Printer V.2.0. Ltd Cranbury, NJ David Kovacs, President 1 7,100,000 38 186,842 7,100,000 3% 1996 25 Paradigm Digital Color Graphics Southampton, PA John Rosenthal, President 1 7,086,050 46 154,045 7,086,050 8% 1997 26 Insight Communication, LLC Bountiful, UT Grant Richey, President 1 6,950,000 30 231,667 6,950,000 2% 1994 27 AlphaGraphics #4 Tempe, AZ Mike Sparaco and Darin Osborne, 1 6,338,384 38 166,800 6,338,384 16% 1988 CEO, CFO 28 Digital Marketing Services, Inc. Pelham, AL Ryan Cooper, President 1 6,310,000 41 153,902 6,310,000 4% 2006 29 PIP Printing of Alaska Anchorage, AK Shelley Bramstedt, Jan and John 1 6,223,345 42 148,175 6,223,345 -3% 1979 Tatham, Owner 30 AlphaGraphics in the Cultural District Pittsburgh, PA Bill Meehan, Clare Meehan, and 1 6,200,000 30 206,667 6,200,000 10% 2000 Sarah Meehan Parker, Chairman, President, CEO 31 Foust, Inc. dba Whitney Russell Amarillo, TX Nell Foust, Owner 1 6,100,000 55 110,909 6,100,000 NA 1909 Printers 32 Braintree Printing Braintree, MA CORLISS, TAFUR 1 6,036,026 21 287,430 6,036,026 -6% 1989 33 Lake Printing Inc. Osage Beach, MO Gary L. Lorenz, Chairman 2 5,974,659 33 181,050 2,987,330 17% 1949 34 H&H Graphics Inc. Lancaster, PA Mary Kohler, Mike Williams, and 1 5,891,152 42 140,266 5,891,152 4% 1972 Dee Spitler 35 K-B Offset Printing, Inc. State College, PA RJ Caravan, CEO 1 5,821,000 45 129,356 5,821,000 5% 1973 36 Infl uence Graphpics New York, NY Ronald Sizemore, Partner 1 5,600,000 36 155,556 5,600,000 2% 2005 37 AAI Gilbert, MN Robert Cap, CEO 1 5,500,000 9 611,111 5,500,000 10% 1971 38 Curry Printing Westborough, MA Peter Gardner, President 2 5,479,596 31 176,761 2,739,798 -1% 1981 39 Integra Graphics Crestwood, IL Rick Richter, Gene Egan, 2 5,358,000 21 255,143 2,679,000 7% 1989 President, VP 40 Express Press, Inc South Bend, IN Brian Clauser, President 2 5,307,718 43 123,435 2,653,859 1% 1977 41 More Business Solutions Peachtree Corners, GA Denise K Roath, CEO 2 5,100,000 51 100,000 2,550,000 9% 1985 42 Unique Litho, Inc. Englewood, CO Jay Hartway, Owner 1 4,845,966 30 161,532 4,845,966 -8% 1985 43 Spectrum Printing & Graphics Rockville, MD Andrew Berman, President 1 4,816,375 40 120,409 4,816,375 0 1997 44 Alphagraphics of Carrollton Carrollton, TX Sally Hewell, Chairman 1 4,702,018 35 134,343 4,702,018 -1% 1994

12 Printing News  June 2018 PrintingNewscom The industry continues to evolve and at the strategic level and better under- to market research by Thomas O. consumer needs are changing at a standing our client’s business needs Jones and W. Earl Sasser, Jr., increas- record clip.” and goals allows us to recommend ing customer retention by even 5% the appropriate marketing tactic,” increases profitability by 25%-95%. Specializations Continue explained Th omas. This year’s Top 100 are driving cus- to Expand Harvard Business Review reports tomer loyalty by diversifying their When it comes to securing a sales that client loyalty is the single offerings to new and existing clients. advantage, a commercial print most important driver of long-term “Practice what you preach. Make sure business must fi rst decide what their financial performance. According your own marketing is on point and you vision is, and what opportunities are priorities based on that vision.

Commercial Printing Sales History and Outlook SALES Volume Year Percent Change (Billions) 2017 1.5%-3.0% $83.5-85.1 2016 0.8%-1.2% $82.3-82.6 2015 1.80% $81.70 2014 2.40% $80.20 2013 0.80% $78.30 2012 0.90% $77.70 2011 -1.10% $77.00

Top Job Types Reported by Rank

Color Digital Printing/Copying 1 B/W Digital Printing/Copying 2 Prepress 3 Bindery/Finishing 4 Mailing Services 5 (Not Including Postage) Four-Color Process 6 Wide-Format Inkjet Printing 7 Signage 8 Multi-Color Offset 9 One-Color Offset 10 Interactive/Web-Based Services 11 Brokered/Other 12 Production Inkjet Printing 13

“More and more we are becoming a print advisory service to help direct our clients to products that will best meet their needs,” explained Duggal. Customers oft en need professional support on how to get “big wins” that deliver a return on investment. Th ese conversations provide opportunities to rethink sales strategies by bringing new ideas to the table. “We continue to fi nd that layering marketing services with print ser- vices has big upside. Getting involved For more information, visit PrintingNews.com/10005400

PrintingNewscom June 2018  Printing News 13 TOTAL INDUSTRY COMMERCIAL PRINTING SALES

Number of Total Employees Average Sales Average Sales Growth/ Year Rank Company Name City and State Management Locations 2017 Sales (FT+PT) per Employee per Shop Loss Founded 45 Sir Speedy Printing Irvine Irvine, CA Kathy Morgan, President 1 4,642,104 19 244,321 4,642,104 31% 1989 46 Sir Speedy 5025 Sarasota, FL Eileen C. Rosenzweig, President 1 4,624,112 23 201,048 4,624,112 -4% 1979 47 The Print House Malden, MA Paul T. Doucette, President 2 4,600,000 26 176,923 2,300,000 5% 1983 48 Art Advertising, Inc. Jonesboro, AR Gary D. and Stacy Gestring, 2 4,596,841 40 114,921 2,298,421 -5% 1969 VP and President 49 Jeb-Phi Inc. Downey, CA Bruce and Linda Pansky 1 4,498,156 22 204,462 4,498,156 23% 1969 50 Impressions Printing Oklahoma City, OK Jeff Summerford, CEO 1 4,309,334 41 105,106 4,309,334 -9% 1996 51 AJ Images, Inc Roselle, NJ Janet Greebel, President 1 4,293,505 23 186,674 4,293,505 4% 1967 52 Fuse Graphics Marietta, GA Kelly Carlin, CEO 1 4,142,377 32 129,449 4,142,377 1% 1988 53 Universal Printing Durham, NC Robert Moura, President 1 4,097,123 37 110,733 4,097,123 8% 1979 54 AlphaGraphics #011 Phoenix, AZ Larry Furlong, Franchise Owner 1 4,073,083 26 156,657 4,073,083 5% 1981 55 Trinity Press Norcross, CA Joe and Kay Dye 1 4,032,000 20 201,600 4,032,000 7% 1984 56 Allegra Sterling, VA John Flynn, President 1 4,006,015 22 182,092 4,006,015 -2% 1988 57 AlphaGraphics San Francisco & Marin San Francisco, CA Manuel Torres, Managing Partner 2 $3,993,031 24 $166,376.29 $1,996,516 -6% 1990 58 AJ Images, Inc Roselle, NJ Janet Greebel, President 1 3,975,000 24 165,625 3,975,000 -5% 1967 59 Econo Print Inc. Billings, MT Jim Berry, President 2 3,921,256 19 206,382 1,960,628 2% 1969 60 AlphaGraphics Bozeman Bozeman, MT Michael & Jeff Burgard, Owners 2 3,852,000 25 154,080 1,926,000 2% 1967 61 Sir Speeedy 4043 Carrollton, TX Jim Quinn, Owner 1 3,817,038 22 173,502 3,817,038 1% 1990 62 Allegra Helena, MT Jonette & Kyle Spencer 1 3,800,000 27 140,741 3,800,000 75% 1982 63 Southeast Mail Service Lexington, KY Jeff Fraley 1 3,800,000 30 126,667 3,800,000 14% 2007 64 Allegra - Lehigh Valley Allentown, PA Edward Kelchner, President 1 3,785,000 29 130,517 3,785,000 8% 2016 65 Salem Printing & Blueprint, Inc. Salem, OR Brenton C. Field, President 5 3,705,194 25 148,208 741,039 0% 1946 66 AlphaGraphics/Moran Graphics Inc. Chicago, IL Richard F Moran, President 4 3,677,260 27 136,195 919,315 8% 1993 67 Bethlehem Business Forms, LLC Bethlehem, PA Frederick Fenselau, President 1 3,445,929 32 107,685 3,445,929 7% 1986 68 P&S Cochran Printers Peoria, IL Scott Cochran/Shane Parker/ 2 3,363,634 27 124,579 1,681,817 -0.50% 1978 Chris Cochran 69 The Voom Group, Inc. Plano, TX Erich Schlarb, President 1 3,280,000 24 136,667 3,280,000 8% 202 70 Allegra / Acadia Group, LLC Saline, MI Therese & Pat Mahoney, 1 3,270,767 30 109,026 3,270,767 3% 1973 Joe DiMauro, & Kelly Parkinson, Partners 71 Allegra Richmond, VA John D. Fergusson, President 1 3,230,000 25 129,200 3,230,000 7% 1991 73 Winn Communications / Alphagraph- West Valley City, Utah Brian Johnson, President, CEO 1 3,101,350 22 140,970 3,101,350 25% 2015 ics #34 74 AlphaGraphics #371, #600 and #629 Austin, TX Jane Harvey, President 3 3,101,000 26 119,269 1,033,667 25% 1978 75 Scott’s Printing and Design Solutions Montrose, CO SCOTT BEYER 3 3,070,000 22 139,545 1,023,333 26.80% 1978 76 Allegra Marketing Print Mail Tucson, AZ Peter Marcus, President 1 3,012,462 15 200,831 3,012,462 -1% 77 AlphaGraphics Layton Layton, UT Jerron M Hale 1 2,984,232 19 157,065 2,984,232 -1% 2002 78 Allegra Marketing Print Web Vancouver, BC Michael Grant, President 1 2,982,527 20 149,126 2,982,527 7% 1994 79 PIP New England East Longmeadow, MA Robert Pelzek and Michael Tarby, 1 2,960,000 22 134,545 2,960,000 16% 1976 President and Vice President 80 Sir Speedy Printing Washington, DC Michael Klugerman, Owner 1 2,927,916 11 266,174 2,927,916 0% 2005 81 PIP Triad & Triad Signs Burlington, NC Jimmy Brumley, Owner 2 2,916,960 26 112,191 1,458,480 -1% 1983 82 Wet Ink, Inc dba AlphaGraphics Arvada, CO Edward Rothschild, President 3 2,916,139 23 126,789 972,046 1% 1996 83 Allegra Marketing Print Mail Ottawa, ON Walter McGinn, President 1 2,862,000 18 159,000 2,862,000 -7% 1987 84 Copycats New York, NY Ruth Starer, CEO 1 2,818,595 16 176,162 2,818,595 0.05% 1984 85 Allegra of Arkansas, Inc. Little Rock, AR Darwin Buehler, President 1 2,810,692 26 108,104 2,810,692 16% 1991 86 PIP Printing Riverside and Corona/ Riverside, CA Justin Tracy and Sam Tracy, CEO 2 2,794,995 16 174,687 1,397,498 0% 1968 PrintMyStuff.com and President 87 Graphic Creations Inc. Knoxville, TN Debbie Billings, President 1 2,762,078 20 138,104 2,762,078 14% 1987 88 Growth Inc. dba Sir Speedy of Newark Newark, DE John Riley, Secretary and 1 2,705,506 15 180,367 2,705,506 7% 1995 Treasurer

14 Printing News  June 2018 PrintingNewscom TOTAL INDUSTRY COMMERCIAL PRINTING SALES

Number of Total Employees Average Sales Average Sales Growth/ Year Rank Company Name City and State Management Locations 2017 Sales (FT+PT) per Employee per Shop Loss Founded 89 Bradsher & Bright, LLC Franklin, TN Jim Bright, President and CEO 1 2,704,437 26 104,017 2,704,437 12% 2012 90 AlphaGraphics US553 Houston, TX Jim and Britt Houd, Owners 1 2,700,000 13 207,692 2,700,000 20% 2003 91 TruColor Printing and Mailing Greenville, SC J Ray Truluck Jr 1 2,676,134 15 178,409 2,676,134 -4% 1980 92 Allegra Okemos, MI Dave Muhleck, Owner 1 2,666,232 13 205,095 2,666,232 15% 1990 93 AlphaGraphics Sandy Sandy, UT Andy Selcho, President 1 2,656,529 19 139,817 2,656,529 2% 1996 94 Streeter Printing, Inc. San Diego, CA Adrienne Streeter, President 1 2,645,437 20 132,272 2,645,437 -8% 1980 95 AlphaGraphics of Sioux Falls Sioux Falls, SD Paul VanVeldhuizen, Owner 1 2,640,000 14 188,571 2,640,000 11% 1997 96 Park Place Printing, Inc. Mesa, AZ Steve Adams, Owner 3 2,626,421 18 145,912 875,474 7% 1990 97 BGB Enterprises dba AlphaGraphics Chandler, AZ Brandon Bagley, Owner 4 2,611,447 18 145,080 652,862 -3% 2007 Chandler|Gilbert|Scottsdale 98 ColorMarx Corporation dba PIP Sacramento, CA The McNaught Family 3 2,596,950 13 199,765 865,650 13% 1969 Marketing Signs Print 99 Allegra Show Low, AZ Clyde Moses, General Manager 1 2,591,108 14 185,079 2,591,108 2% 2006 100 Allegra Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids, IA Eric Van Kerckhove and Ben Van 1 2,581,284 20 129,064 2,581,284 9.40% Kerckhove, President and Vice President Total Total Average Number of Total Number Total Number of Sales per Total Average Locations of Sales Employees Employee Sales per Shop 173 652,624,639 3980 163,976 3,772,397

are reaching your target market eff ectively. Become your own case study,” said Th omas. “You need to understand your customers’ application challenge and not just sell,” said Kelly Flicinski, Mar- π keting Specialist at Tapecon, Inc. (#4). Finding talent that can fulfill market demand and keep up with an increasingly innovative in- ALWAYS IN STOCK dustry is the second half of increasing a competi- tive advantage. As 14% of the Top 100 commercial print providers prepare to open new locations in 2018, a healthy and sustainable talent pipeline is imperitive. “We need to be prepared to compete as vigorously for talent as we do for clients to suc- ceed,” Paparozzi urged. Prepare for Growth Color digital printing and copying remained #1 and #2 most common job orders among the Top 100. Pre- press, bindery/fi nishing, and mailing services all fol- PEANUTS TUBES BUBBLE low close behind in the top 5 most common job types UPSABLE AND MORE OVER 250 TUBES OVER 290 PRODUCTS reported. Industry experts expect something other than printing (such as mailing, fulfi llment, database management, marketing services, web service, etc.) to provide 31.6% of their revenue in 2018, up from just 13.3% in 2012. Figures show that 80% of the Top 100 reported growth in revenue during 2017. In tandem with a ORDER BY 6 PM FOR healthy economy, this number is only expected to SAME DAY SHIPPING 1-800-295-5510 grow in 2018. For more information, visit PrintingNews.com/10718883

PrintingNewscom June 2018  Printing News 15 Finish at the End

Cell phone case embellished by the Roland DGA LD-80 Hot Foil Printing Machine & Laser Decorator.

By Howard Riell foils to provide a premium, person- alized appearance to small, off-the- he latest advancements in finishing equipment are progressing the shelf products including fountain ways that printers are helping their customers work more profitably pens, cell phone covers, stationery, and efficiently than ever before. The latest advancements in finishing or cosmetic accessories. The LD-80 T equipment technology “mostly all have to do with the reduction in uses proprietary technology to focus set-up times,” said Tim Simpson, President, DiggyPOD Inc. a self-publishing and a laser beam to transfer hot-stamp book printing company in Tecumseh, MI, which uses a Muller Martini Vareo type foils to plastic and paper items Perfect Binder. “In addition, another area of advancements is operator inter- to create a true luxury appearance. faces.” Printers, in Simpson’s view want to see shorter make-readies and less Text, logos, and other vector graph- labor-intensive operation, “which is obviously driven by the increase in short- ics can be transferred quickly onto er-run print work. Intuitive interfaces and easier-to-use automated equipment plastics such as acrylic, ABS, and help hold down the price of operators, which is another interesting advance- polycarbonate that usually perform ment to printers.” poorly under traditional hot-stamp applications.” Laser Focus digital fabrication tools, including 3D “Th e special characteristics of the A fine illustration of developments in milling machines, 3D printers, and focused laser supports the transfer of finishing equipment that help print- engraving machines. The company very small text and fi ne lines in stun- ers do their jobs better than ever be- recently launched what it says is ning quality,” said Marketing Manager fore was recently launched by United the world’s first laser foil decorator. Daisuke Satori. “In addition to gold Kingdom-based DGSHAPE Corp., a The LD-80 Laser Decorator enables or silver foil, metallic or holographic wholly-owned subsidiary of Roland adding text, logos, and graphics in a foils can be used to create a broad DG Corp. and a leading provider of variety of metallic and holographic range of vivid designs,” he continued.

16 Printing News  June 2018 PrintingNewscom The bundled software package preformed in-line, which eases opera- Finish with made it easy to create custom designs tion, reduces touch points, will reduce for personalization. A wide selection work hours and help free up operators Success of fonts are available, and settings to do other tasks in the shop. like font size and spacing can be ad- “With automation, operators can old embellishments are among justed at the click of a mouse. Vector perform other tasks while jobs are B 2018’s biggest fi nishing trends, data can also be imported including running, with the confi dence that they here are fi ve tips that package custom designs like illustrations will run smoothly. Printers are con- printers and converters can follow to and logos. Compliant with the safest stantly aft er quick turnaround times, make their bold fi nishes pop, according to X-Rite/Pantone: Class 1 international standard for increasing the breadth of off erings to products equipped with laser devic- their customers, and the ability to do 1. Implementing process control soft- es, the LD-80 incorporates a full-cov- more in-house.” Ricoh’s customers have ware can speed job setup, provide er design to ensure it can be used been “very clear in telling us they are near-real-time assessment of color performance, and generate report- willing to invest more capital as long as ing to help production managers there is an eff ective return on invest- address issues. Finishing equipment ment,” LePore reported. “Th e ability to streamline production with reduced 2. Special fi nishes and embellish- will continue to grow in inline makeready that enables a white ments require different measure- ment techniques. Choose the size and become more paper in, fi nished product out solution right spectrophotometer for the in many cases can do just that.” job, which is a critical element of a automated and integrated Ricoh’s latest advancement is the color-managed workfl ow. with the digital presses. Ricoh Peripheral Interface Port (RPIP). 3. Age, fading, and improper care can In development for between three and cause physical references to change fi ve years, it hit the market in 2015. over time—implement digital refer- safely without laser light being visi- Of this technology, Lepore said: “It ences to offer a more sophisticated ble outside the unit. It also includes removes the limits of what fi nishing level of connectivity. a failsafe design that stops the unit devices we can off er. It allows us to 4. Explore cloud-based tools, such as automatically if the cover is opened interface with any third-party fi nisher, PantoneLIVE Design and Adobe plug- while it is operating. The exclusive opening up options that were histor- in, to better understand how colors design of the laser system eliminates ically standalone units. If a customer will change when applied to the dust or gas from being generated, en- has a desire for a certain option in-line, most common print and packaging suring maintenance-free operation. there’s a good chance we can accommo- materials. It also works on ordinary household date the customer.” 5. Reference emerging standards, such power, requiring no electrical work as Print Requirements Exchange and for installation. Greater Return Print Quality Exchange, for effective Th e advancements are ongoing. One of bi-directional communication. ‘Much More Automation’ the latest progressions in equipment For Ricoh, the ability to bring has to do with gluing systems and tech- third-party finishing in-line with nologies, Simpson said. Th e application production presses “has been one and monitoring of glue “has become of our leading advancements,” said much more sophisticated and clean, “A small investment in technology can Chris LePore, Senior Product Manag- which leads to quicker set-ups and a give them a much greater return in cost er, Commercial & Industrial Printing better-quality product.” savings.” Business Group, Ricoh USA, Inc. According to Simpson, the new In the next few years, LePore be- “Across the industry, we’re seeing things that he and his management lieves that finishing equipment will much more automation. Th e main push team see coming in the next few years continue to grow in size and become in the industry is overall effi ciency, is continued automation that can more automated and integrated with which includes the ability to get more reduce the dependency on manpower. the digital presses. It will also be able things done with less steps, taking Also on the way, he added, are further to perform more functions that were touch points out of fi nishing to help development of quality-control systems traditionally done by hand. increase accuracy, reducing waste and within the manufacturing process, and Th e advancements in fi nishing have work hours,” said LePore. the continued reduction of both setup limits that are being broken each day. According to LePore, printers are tell- times and change-over rates. Compa- Opportunity for commercial print ing her company’s executives that they nies are “defi nitely” willing to pay more owners to invest in fi nishing are for the are looking for more fi nishing features for improved technology, Simpson feels. taking. You just have to seize them.

PrintingNewscom June 2018  Printing News 17 Thinkstock/iStock Augmented Reality Drives Interest in Interactive Print

Consumers today want to go interact with brands beyond just a simple purchase; they are looking to be part of the brand story, part of something bigger.

By Joann Whitcher

ast year, Treasury Wine Estates created a sensation with its augmented reality label for its 19 Crimes brand. Consumers that downloaded the 19 Crimes app from the app store and scanned the wine label were treated to L true tales of British criminals accused of 19 specifi c crimes punishable by relocation to Australia.

Launched July 2017, the 19 Crimes AR consumers are enjoying our wine,” ex- Treasury Wine Estate’s interactive printed label was conceived to help drive con- plained Michelle Terry, Chief Marketing labels on signature wine bottles sumer engagement, taking into account Offi cer, Treasury Wine Estates. that smartphones are an integral part of “We saw AR as an opportunity to tell Wine Labels app; along with19 Crimes, consumers’ lives. a brand story in a highly engaging and the brands include Walking Dead, TWE collaborated with Tactic, a cre- novel way,” she added. “We had a vision Beringer Brothers, Lindeman’s Gentle- ative technology company, and J. Walter to disrupt the category, going beyond man’s Collection, and Chateau St. Jean). Th ompson SF to create the award-win- traditional approaches of neck-tags or ning label. To bring the 19 criminals paper-based point of sale, to engage Technology Trends in AR to life, Tactic combined its expertise in consumers at the point of purchase.” Augmented reality is coming into character animation, visual eff ects, and Th e fi rst of its kind in the wine its own. While it’s been around for a mobile AR. category, reported Terry, the plat- number of years, it wasn’t until Pokemon “We were looking at ways to add an form has driven strong growth for 19 Go and SnapChat integrated AR into interesting experiential element to bring Crimes—across the US and globally as their applications that the technology our brands to life to the consumer—both well. Based on this initial success, fi ve captured the hearts and minds of at the shelf and aft er purchase, when brands are now live with the Living consumers, brands, and marketers.

18 Printing News  June 2018 PrintingNewscom AR falls into the category of interac- Doing it Right tive or connected print – the ability to Interactive print and social connected Facts about interact with printed material (such as activations are important amplifi ers 19 Crimes APP catalogs, direct mail, inserts, displays, in multi-channel marketing programs, and packaging) using a mobile phone Puterbaugh said. Th e activations, used • More than 1.3 million downloads globally (or some other digital-enable device). in grand openings and campaigns Th e various technologies that enable tailored to drive in-store foot traffi c, • Ranked #41 for non-paid apps in food & interactive print may be text-based (e.g., help amplify a wide range of brand beverage category (top 50) short codes, long codes, phone numbers); touchpoints, from direct mail to in-store • 4+ star rating in iOS/android store code-based (UPC, QR); proximity-based pop-up displays. (NFC, beacons) and image-based (e.g., Employing AR or other types of • Supporting viral efforts - Facebook video image recognition, watermarks). interactive print is not without its risk. on the app, which has received over 19 mil- BlueSoho, the marketing and content Besides the production challenges, lion views and 225K shares services agency that is a division of brands have to navigate a fi ne line be- Quad Graphics, has delivered over tween being ‘hokey’ and having the AR 5,000 connected print activations (print experience resonate with the consumer. to digital) since 2010. It has been part Treasury Wine Estates has certainly Building on the of a number of fi rst wide scale uses of accomplished the latter. Possibilities various interactive print technologies: What made it work? “We delivered “We think retailers are looking for new the NFC program for Wired/Lexus; AR a range of consumer experiences ways to engage consumers and this and watermarks for the 2018 Sports through the AR platform– these include technology cuts through the noise of Illustrated swimsuit issue (which also bringing characters from the brand to the busy shelf,” said Terry. used virtual reality); AR and image life on the label (19 Crimes), providing Marketers and brands continue to recognition for Esquire and Redbook; extension of TV entertainment and explore the realm of interactive print. Microsoft Tag for Lucky Magazine; NFC characters (Walking Dead), promoting Extended Reality (XR), which includes the history of a winery (Bering- immersive media, 360 video, mixed er Bros) and more recently, reality, VR, as well as AR, has proven to educating wine lovers through have very high engagement numbers the voice of the winemaker that surpass video in a number of areas, (Chateau St Jean), and provid- said Puterbaugh. “Th e challenge is that ing tips on etiquette for the extended reality (XR) and immersive modern gentleman via Linde- media are arguably a new form of man’s Gentleman’s Collection,” media and storytelling that is akin to said Terry. when we went from radio to TV,” he Consumers today want to go added. “Transitioning to new media interact with brands beyond formats can be very disruptive and just a simple purchase; they oft en are based on prior media formats are looking to be part the and structures.” brand story, part of something Also proving challenging is reach and bigger. “Th e Living Wine distribution, noted Puterbaugh. and bluetooth pop-up kiosks for US Label app allows our consumers to However, this is just the beginning. Bank; and beacons with RetailerNOW. be part of a community,” said Terry. Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore BlueSoho also worked with the Editor “It becomes a portal for TWE to build are bringing built-in AR capabilities of Cosmo to put a QR code on the cover relationships with our consumers.” to the smartphone. that was basically a ‘reveal’ meets ‘deal “AR has contributed to 19 Crimes “Going forward, our focus is how to of the day’—it performed quite well in experiencing double digit growth and help retailers and brand marketers terms of scans (clickthroughs), email becoming a $1.5 million case brand,” deliver integrated, multi-channel capture, and overall engagement, said said Mitchell. “It won the Impact Hot programs designed to help them John Puterbaugh, Ph.D., Managing Brands award in the US, which recog- achieve their business goals,” said Director for BlueSoho. nized the role of AR in driving growth Puterbaugh. “As part of this process, “Publishers were the main early of the brand, and has also just won a Su- various amplifi cation vehicles such as adopters of interactive print tech,” he per REGGIE – an extremely prestigious interactive print are integrated into added. “More recently, we’ve worked marketing award in the US recognizing the overall campaign based on the with a wide range of catalogers and the best marketing campaigns from locations, target audience, and overall direct mailers and retailers.” brands and agencies.” campaign goals.

PrintingNewscom June 2018  Printing News 19 Association Insights: A Paradigm Shift

A preview of this ambitious new vision is “woven into the fabric” of this year’s PRINT18.

arlier this year, our Association, formerly known as NPES, announced a name change to the Association for Print Technologies (APTech). Th is defi ning moment in the Association’s 85-year history marked its transition from inward to outward-focused organization with a new global E mission—the alignment and growth of the entire printing and imaging industry. A preview of this ambitious new vision is “woven into the fabric” of this year’s PRINT18.

Produced since 1968, PRINT is recognized as cations industry in Latin America. Th is partner- the foremost, best-attended, and most innovative ship, which will connect to CONLATINGRAF’s printing industry event in North America. Build- network of printing associations from 14 countries ing upon this legacy of success, we have begun to PRINT, represents more than 643,000 direct to transition the annual onsite experience into a employees from 60,000 print shops. Another part- thriving year-round industry community where nership with INKISH.TV, an independent online connections are made before, during, and contin- TV channel for—and about—the printing industry, ue long aft er the show. Th is Spring, we premiered will further boost attendance and extend the glob- By Thayer Long the printevent.com website and distributed the al presence of APTech’s signature event. Another President of Association for fi rst edition of the PRINT Quarterly e-newsletter industry partnership, with the Chief Marketing Print Technologies (APTech) as show visitors await the year’s most dazzling Offi cer (CMO) Council, welcomes to the show a array of the latest technologies, unique new ap- global membership of more than 12,000 senior Thayer Long is President of the Association for Print Technologies, plications, and best practice solutions to be found marketers who control more than $500 billion of formerly known as NPES, and under one roof this Fall in Chicago. annual, aggregated marketing spend globally. serves as president of the Graphic • Th ird, you will see our commitment to Arts Education and Research Foundation (GAERF). Mr. Long The One and Only PRINT delivering “top shelf” events and activities at the joined the Association in April 2016, With our new strategy for the industry’s signa- show with names-you-know thought leaders. To bringing eight years of effective ture annual event well underway, what can you kick-off PRINT 18, our Opening Keynote Speaker leadership experience, strategic plan development, foundation work, expect at PRINT 18 this year? on Sunday, September 30 will be world-renowned and trade show management. • First, you will see, at every turn, our attention entrepreneur and best-selling author Seth Godin, focused on your “Learning Experience.” From and include a book signing featuring his best-sell- an all-new seminar and expert presentation ing book, What to Do When It’s Your Turn (and It’s program, you can choose from dozens of sessions Always Your Turn). on topics ranging from business management, • Fourth, it is important to recognize that sales, and new markets, to operational improve- PRINT18 is non-profi t, vendor-owned, and ment, technical “how it’s done” sessions, plus the exclusively produced by the Association for Print big picture topics: the economy, current industry Technologies. What does this mean to you? Unlike trends, and future outlook. While developed for other shows, not only are 100% of the net PRINT company owners and managers, production pro- proceeds reinvested into industry research & fessionals, designers, customer service and sales market data, education, advocacy and standards professionals, these growth-oriented sessions development—but with the future clearly driven will be valuable for anyone who wants to learn by technology, we are uniquely positioned to more about signifi cant issues impacting printing help innovative print professionals integrate and businesses today. implement the latest technology to meet changing • Second, our focus is on collaboration, where customer demands. industry organizations connect with the shared • In 2018, APTech has created an exciting new purpose of helping their members succeed. vision not just for an association, or for a trade- APTech’s growing roster of strategic partnerships show, but for our industry. Join us at PRINT 18, that will expand our community at PRINT 18 in- Sunday, September 30 – Tuesday, October 2, 2018, clude: CONLATINGRAF (Latin American Alliance at Chicago’s McCormick Place South as we engage Find this article at of Graphic Arts and Printing Associations), the the printing “universe” to redefi ne limits and PrintingNews.com/12412303 foremost organization for the graphic communi- value of print.

20 Printing News  June 2018 PrintingNewscom Digital Original: A Look at Recent Trends in Prepress Will the printing industry see a return to the page layout wars?

or the past decade, Adobe has captured market share for graphic designers and printing compa- nies with its Creative Suite over its biggest rival QuarkXPress. Quark is making a push to get back customers with QuarkXPress 2017 and a new IDML Import feature that can convert InDesign F fi les directly into editable QuarkXPress objects that retain attributes is drawing some interest. But the biggest buzz isn’t about QuarkXPress features, but page layout pricing models.

Small printing companies continue to complain Bottom line, select the soft ware that gives you about the Adobe subscription model for its soft - the biggest bang for the bucks, not just because ware products. To save money smaller companies it is the cheapest. would forgo buying or upgrading the latest ver- sion of the Adobe soft ware until they had to. Now Making Prepress Work For You printers have a monthly bill from Adobe hitting Before you make any change to any soft ware, their credit card. make sure you are making money with what Many soft ware companies are going to a sub- you use now. First, review your selling prices for By John Giles scription service for soft ware and there are pros prepress and design tasks. Some printers are still Senior Consultant for CPrint International and cons. Subscribers have access to the latest charging the same prices they did a decade ago updates and fi xes, but oft en they are provided and are afraid to raise prices because “customers John Giles is a senior consultant features they don’t need or are forced to update might complain.” for CPrint International hardware because of compatibility issues. Ado- Second, make sure invoices get processed. (cprint.com). He helps printers prosper and understand how be started the subscription service in 2013 and Some printers boast of high design prices, yet the to sell technology services. there are still printers using Adobe’s Creative customer never gets charged for the work. Make Giles is the author of “12 Suite 6. Adobe stopped selling the box version of sure your chart of accounts separates the selling Secrets for Digital Success” and “The DTP PriceList.” CS6 in January 2017. prices for the prepress department. He can be reached at Quark’s pricing for their box version of QuarkX- Establish someone in charge of getting changes 954-224-1942 or Press is attractive to small printers. Th e price and additional prepress charges onto the custom- [email protected]. for the program is $849 and $149 for a year of er’s invoice. If a customer makes a lot of changes support and upgrades. Th e price drops to $399 if in the original order, you can charge for the time you are doing a competitive upgrade and moving you spent making the changes. If the customer from InDesign, Microsoft Publisher, Photoshop, didn’t provide a print-ready fi le, then you can CorelDraw, or one of the other layout programs. charge a price for making sure the fi le prints. Th is compares to Adobe’s monthly subscription Measure your prepress productivity month- of $19.99 a month for InDesign or $49.95 a month ly. Have a sales goal for the department. Are for the complete suite of soft ware (Acrobat, Photo- monthly sales more than the monthly expenses? shop, Illustrator, etc.). Are the sales people and CSRs charging the right amounts and covering all the costs? Which Deal is Best? Th e prepress department can either be a Which deal is the best for the individual printer big money maker or a big money loser. It is up will depend on several factors. Which soft ware to management to focus on the department’s can the printer aff ord? What soft ware is needed costs. Don’t let the prepress department be a to support customers? Are the other soft ware loss leader to get more digital and press work. programs in the Creative Cloud needed? Which Prepress and design play an important role in Find this article at program is the staff familiar with and are trained the production process and customers should be PrintingNews.com/12412316 people available to use the soft ware selected? expected to pay for it.

PrintingNewscom June 2018  Printing News 21 Focusing on Production Inkjet's Next Frontier

• Top Tips on Exclusive Section Successful Print & Mail Marketing • Why White Ink is an Irreplaceable Tool for PSPs

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Wedding invitation printed with metallic ink.

Samples printed with metallic ink on the Xerox Iridesse Production Press. Playing with Ink & Media

By Carol Brzozowski niches with only a single machine investment,” he said. Dan Johansen, Senior Manager for wide format, commer- rom automotive parts to suitcases, there is hardly cial and industrial printing business group, Ricoh USA, anything that cannot serve as a substrate for printing noted that many printers, inspired by strides in wide format given the advances in ink and processes that have been inkjet’s versatility are embracing “incredible new substrates”. F the driving factor in expanding the possibilities. Th anks to advanced specialized inks and enhanced print- head technology, the industry’s options for unique substrates Josh McNaughton, Product Specialist for Xante Corpora- have grown considerably to the point that printing service tion, notes the growth is in manufacturing. providers (PSPs) can now utilize virtually every surface to “With the advancements of UV printing technologies, market their customers’ products and deliver messaging in many manufacturers are bringing these digital devices in- interesting, engaging ways, Johansen notes. house to print on their own products as opposed to screen “With these advancements, printers and print buyers printing or pad printing,” he pointed out. “Th ese manufactur- are allowing their imaginations and their applications to ers want to produce more lean and just-in-time. Digital print- expand, unencumbered by the limitations of traditional ing off ers the fl exibility they need to print a wide variety of substrates,” he elaborated. products with very little make-ready compared to analog With the added capacity, speed and uptime provided by printing equipment. We have seen digital printing used in inkjet, PSPs are expanding their portfolio of new appli- everything from automotive parts, puzzles, leather, compact cations that they can print, noted Sheri Jammallo, Senior discs, and sporting goods.” Advisor, Marketing, Production Print Solutions, Canon On the other hand, commercial print shops also are Solutions America. getting into the digital market as they seek new reve- “New development in inks such as with Chromera inks – a nue opportunities away from their traditional markets, fast-drying ink – open options for printers to use their ink- McNaughton added. jet devices to print on inexpensive uncoated and untreat- “Newer UV printers allow the fl exibility for a shop to off er ed digital off set papers and lightly inkjet-treated paper,” everything from promotional products to signage, which Jammallo pointed out. makes it very easy for a print shop owner to target many new Chromera inks also are ideal for lightweight paper

24 Printing News  June 2018 PrintingNewscom Inkjet’s Age

applications as the pigments stay are many specialty primers available on that consistency, no matter how closer to the paper surface, thus to increase adhesion on items such exciting the substrate,” he adds. “With- reducing show-through on thin as glass, metals, stone, and plastics. out consistency, campaigns can look papers, she added. White inks and white ink supply sys- sloppy and unprofessional, limiting “As the combination of advance- tems have improved greatly over the their eff ectiveness and potentially ments in inks, print heads, and drying years, allowing more opacity and less costing business.” solutions within inkjet technology clogging, making white much more To expand their off erings, PSPs matures and evolves, the ability to user-friendly to the operator.” should identify their core vertical mar- use standard off set coated stocks with Many RIPs have features allowing ket to focus on and become experts in inkjet will drive more transition from the operator to print textures with UV those markets, says Jammallo. “Th ey off set to digital as well along with the ink, providing the operator with the should complement their workfl ow to traditional advantages such as per- capability to print items such as Braille achieve operational effi ciencies and sonalization and short-run lengths,” fi nishing capabilities Jammallo said. that will support their “Th e latest ink and drying technol- application growth and ogy of the Océ ProStream opens up customer needs.” a world of commercial applications PSPs also should with high ink coverage for production consider their poten- inkjet,” she added. “With the speed, tial volume, Jammallo quality, and substrate fl exibility, many points out. book printers also are transitioning “Investing into pro- their book printing from off set to duction inkjet usually inkjet. Printers who use inkjet can con- requires high monthly sider high-end fi nishing options like volumes to justify the UV coating, foil, and metallic.” Peacock printed on unique media substrate on the new Xerox investment,” she says. Iridesse Production Press. All of these advances mean that “However, with the printers are now engaging in diff erent entry of sheetfed inkjet printing projects that they could not are even simulated textures such as devices like the Océ VarioPrint i-se- off er customers before. wood grain or tiled patterns giving a ries, the cost of entry is much lower Current UV printers and soft ware 3D appearance that can be seen and and can be justifi ed with monthly RIPs on the market are off ering a mul- touched, said McNaughton. volumes of 1,000,000 images with titude of options and features to allow Th ere are several factors PSPs should the option to add more volume as the specialty printing on a “huge gamut” of note when considering expansion of business grows.” materials, notes McNaughton. their service off erings to embrace this While the expansion of substrates These features include print head type of work, industry experts say. is an exciting advancement for many technologies that allow UV printers “As printers look to capitalize on PSPs, the primary consideration to to print at a much higher resolution, substrate fl exibility, it’s important to obtain successful results when going eject smaller droplet sizes, and run remember that as your capabilities into a new niche market is using the at higher speeds, he said, adding scale, your workfl ows need to scale as right ink or printing technology for the that substrate thickness/head height well,” Johansen explained. job, McNaughton pointed out. capabilities of more than 11 inches “Th at means delivering the same level “Depending on the product’s use, a enable PSPs to print on “very thick” of workfl ow optimization and color rigid ink may be much more suitable items that are pre-assembled or cre- consistency that is foundational to a than a flexible ink for the applica- ate custom jigs for specialty products printer’s reputation, but now across more tion,” he said. or irregular shapes. substrates,” he added. “Th is can require PSPs should also take into account UV inks available on the market can a lot of trial and error or in many cases if the material is going to require any be rigid, off ering greater adhesion, enlisting outside experienced help.” additional prep or adhesion promotors, chemical resistance and durability in Johansen points out that “we as an McNaughton added. contrast to a fl exible ink which can be industry have this tremendous oppor- “Oft entimes, if the printed items will folded and stretched without failure, tunity to leverage more and more di- be sold through retail or distribution, noted McNaughton. verse substrates in wide format inkjet the customer will put the printed item “Th ere also are hybrid inks on the but at the end of the day, print buyers through rigorous testing to see how market off ering the best of both worlds still expect consistency from job to job the ink will hold up to the wear of the with performance in-between a true and substrate to substrate. intended application or environment,” rigid or fl exible ink,” he said. “Th ere “A successful printer needs to deliver he concluded.

PrintingNewscom June 2018  Printing News 25 Inkjet’s Age Why WHITE INK is an Irreplaceable Tool for PSPs By Amanda Luz Henning Santiago

f you’re new to the print industry, you may not understand the sig- nifi cance of white ink. In fact, you I might assume that printing with white ink makes little diff erence than printing without it—this is not the case.

When white ink is working at its full capacity, it provides numerous benefi ts to Print Service Providers (PSPs), such as vibrant images and endless printing applications unattainable with a CMYK gamut alone. Printing News spoke to Retail applications for White Ink, image courtesy of HP. leading industry experts about what makes white ink a pertinent tool for any on to a dark substrate without a PSP or customer. White Ink Normalizes white ink base layer the color out- the Surface of Dark put would be dull, muted, and un- Substrates recognizable,” said McCausland. Without a foundational layer If they opted out of using white of white ink on a dark colored ink, PSPs would have to resort to substrate of any kind, color would using white or light colored sub- simply fail to be seen with any strates to get their desired colors. degree of brilliancy, according Brian Dollard, Director of to each industry expert Printing Strategic Planning and Business News spoke with. Development for Ricoh USA, “It’s pretty simple, white ink provided an apt example of allows you to print on paper, or how white ink can be utilized substrates and material that are on a dark surface: “Generally not white,” said HP’s Chief Inkolo- speaking, whether it’s white ink gist, Th om Brown. or white toner—and we do both Applying an opaque base layer here at Ricoh—it’s all about nor- of white ink prior to applying malizing the surface that you’re colored ink mimics the look of printing on. If you go to a concert A poster utlizing White Ink printed with Acuity Output, printing on a white substrate, or a motorcycle shop, most oft en image courtesy of Fujifi lm. according to Matt McCausland, the t-shirts there are black, right? Product Manager of Professional And we want to be able to print Imaging at Epson America. vibrant colors on that [black] “If PSPs were to print directly t-shirt because it’s a background

26 Printing News  June 2018 PrintingNewscom Inkjet’s Age

age of the market, especially in the premium market. In addition, having white ink that is opaque is very im- portant in the selection of the press. Other factors such as adhesion of ink to substrates, and the capability of the ink system to reliably handle the more viscous and sedimentary nature of the white ink.” The ability to print white ink on clear substrates has also proved to be of great importance in the signage industry, as window clings and clear backed stickers frequently utilize the ink, according to McCausland. (He additionally noted that white ink can add new dimension to backlit prints.) SurePress Label Sample from Vivant Brewery Wondersplosion, image courtesy of Epson. The Future of White Ink White ink’s presence in the printing resort to printing solely on white or industry is growing as white ink light-colored garments. technology evolves and becomes “For textile printing, most cus- even more important in the produc- Turbo Coffee Poster utilizing White Ink, image tomers use a white textile material tion of bright, vibrant printed materi- courtesy of Ricoh. (some type of soft fabric), so in most als. But white Ink can be finicky and cases, the white ink is not needed as difficult to use. It can pose trouble- that’s enjoyable to that audience. We much for this type of application,” some issues including drying with a can’t print with the inks and the toners explained Kaz Kudo, Associate yellowish tint, going bad from being that we use normally—especially the Product Manager of FUJIFILM North used inconsistently, and lacking the inks—because they don’t have the ca- America’s Graphic Systems Division. opacity needed to make other colors pacity to cancel out that surface and the “The more important thing is for pop. HP’s new white latex ink is look- background that you’re printing on.” the material to have the best white ing to eradicate these issues. possible.” Upon announcing HP’s new rigid Substrate Applications are Another important use of White latex printing technology in March, Limitless Ink is to create the base for printing it was also announced that HP would The applications for white ink are special effects, like metallics. White be delivering an innovative, glossy, seemingly limitless. There are Ink acts as a barrier so that metallic high-quality “true white” that avoids multiple materials that can now be effects don’t come through the CMYK yellowing over time like traditional printed with white ink, that include image in unwanted areas, according UV-based white ink. clear glass, plastic, and even wood to Kudo. “White ink has been a consistent according to Brown. White ink has become especially problem for the industry. Tradition- “We’re now printing on substrates that important in the label and packaging ally, it uses bigger and heavier pig- years ago we never even dreamed we industry, as its use is essential when ment particles that frequently clog could print on,” said Dollard. “I mean, printing on clear and metallic sub- printheads, or the opaque mixture who thought we’d be printing on glass, strates. A larger gamut is needed to becomes separated and settles to the on stone, on wood, and on three-dimen- print on metallic substrates and the bottom of the ink reservoir. Until sional objects? At SGIA last year, we were average printing system is usually now, physically shaking the reser- printing on cinder blocks.” limited to four to seven inks, accord- voirs often has been the necessary ing to Mike Pruitt, Product Manager solution,” said Brown. “Through HP’s White Ink is Essential for of SurePress at Epson America. investment in innovation around Textile, Special Effects, “White ink is required for clear chemistry and engineering, the white and Signage Printing and metallic substrates,” explained ink solution with the HP Latex R Se- Textile printing is one of white inks’ Pruitt. “In the case of the labels and ries is an industry breakthrough.” most popular applications. With- packaging industry, white ink is a out white ink, textile printers must very strong and growing percent-

PrintingNewscom June 2018  Printing News 27 Inkjet’sInkjet’s AAgege

for Successful Print & Mail Marketing

Below is a collection of thoughts regarding marketing for print and mail service providers. Keep this and refer back to it. Hang it up in your offi ce and even the most marketing savvy printers will fi nd inspiration.

By Patrick Whelan

1. The cost of implementing an effective marketing program is 7. Focus on the customer experience. Brand differentiation trivial compared to the cost of not implementing one. Some- starts with an understanding of the customer journey from one is always marketing to your customers. Plan and execute. the customer’s point of view, not the printer’s. Do customers Beware of overthinking. I’m reminded of what a client once told really want to see more advertisements and promotions in their me. “My many years in the printing industry have taught me inboxes? How does a customer feel when they have to search to that the pursuit of trying to craft the perfect marketing piece fi nd a phone number because your employees don’t include it often ends up being the reason for doing nothing”. And beware as part of their email signatures? of taking a committee approach. A group of people agreeing to disagree combined with diluted accountability rarely, if ever, 8. Pay attention to your website. 67% of prospects go there produces a positive result. fi rst when seeking info about your company. Do custom- ers want to visit your website just see the same boilerplate 2. The average person is only capable of retaining 3-5 brands website content that they see on a competitor’s? How does a per category in their memory. If you want to introduce your customer feel about your company when they visit your site company to an audience, you need to push another company and see that the latest blog / news article update was several out of consideration. Repetition is fundamental to success. For years back? Timely, relevant, engaging content promotes most print and mail providers, top-of-mind is far more critical thought leadership. And please make sure your site utilizes than SEO. responsive design. More than half the traffi c will come from a mobile device. 3. Just because you can’t measure it (which doesn’t mean it can’t be measured), do not discount the importance of social 9. Every employee is a harbinger of your brand. I see it all the media. In today’s marketplace, not only does the prospect need time, and it has even happened in my own business. Employ- to know and trust you, they also want to like you. Social media ees (and owners) mishandle situations that end up creating is very effective at facilitating this. The abandon rate for social opportunities for their competition. It’s not just the sales and media is VERY high. Beware of creating marketing graveyards. customer service people who have to provide a customer-cen- tric experience. Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s, in making 4. Don’t discount “little things” like birthday cards and notes of his case for consistency, always claimed that the fi rst bite and appreciation. Most sales relationships are more infl uenced by the last bite were what the customer remembered most. So pay emotions than pricing. Emotional responses drive sales. There’s attention to how your phones are being answered and how your no way around it. products are being delivered.

5. Well perceived brands command a price premium of nearly 10. Printers should forget about trying the latest and greatest 9% over brands perceived as just average. Focus on position- marketing methods for fi nding new customers until they ing yourself as the expert. Continue learning. Reading, writing, have become profi cient at retaining the customers they and sharing content (using multiple channels ) should become a have. There is a wealth of information to support the premise weekly exercise. that client retention efforts produce a far greater ROI than new client acquisition efforts. 6. The most popular way to lose a customer is to lose touch with him or her. Industry-specifi c data indicates that 60% of customer loss is due to lack of communication. Irrelevant com- munications contribute to customer defection and alienation.

28 Printing News  June 2018 PrintingNewscom ProductsNew

UniNet iColor 550

UniNet, worldwide Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of on-demand digital print technology, is set to launch their new- est transfer printer at the Imprinted Sportswear Show, taking place January 19-21, in Long Beach, CA. The iColor 550 is a multi-purpose printing solution for transfer production of garments, labels, stationery, banners, Xerox Iridesse Production Press hard surfaces, mar- keting customization Th e company that invented the copier, laser printing and print-on- and more. Th e ver- demand has announced another fi rst in the world of print – a high satility of this new speed, six station color press that combines four-color printing printer allows users with up to two specialty dry inks in one printing pass. Th e Xerox to create heat trans- Iridesse Production Press is the only digital press that can print fer prints with white metallic gold or silver dry ink, CMYK and clear dry ink in a single overprint, right side pass, giving print providers an immediate competitive edge in the reading with white growing digital print enhancement market. underprint, and regu- Iridesse eliminates multiple presses and processes usually re- lar CMYK prints with- quired for print embellishments, increasing capacity and profi ts out white. Th e iColor 550’s capabilities can be further enhanced for customers. According to Keypoint Intelligence-InfoTrends, dig- using UniNet’s specialty toner upgrade kits which includes fl u- ital print enhancement can result in a rapid return on investment orescent, clear, security, and dye sublimation toners. as print service providers’ profi t margins on such embellishments PrintingNews.com/12386586 can be as high as 50 to 400 percent. PrintingNews.com/12411864

Monadnock Paper Mills’ The Santulan Portfolio Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc. announced Th e Santulan Portfolio, an inspirational look- book/brand standards guide with renewable fi ber-based options made with purpose for retail and hospitality brands. Th is tool shows marketers how to source print and packag- ing materials within the context of their or their clients’ corporate sustainability objec- tives. Th e benefi ts in sourcing these products are quantifi able: increased use of renewable electricity; CO2 equivalent emission reductions; replacing plastics with renewable, recy- cled and/or recyclable materials in the supply chain. PrintingNews.com/12413450

TRESU iCut 30000 Digital Plate/Sleeve Cutter If you face demands for fast delivery of digitally printed tions, like personalized packages or special editions. folding carton packaging, the TRESU iCut 30000 Digital With the right workfl ow, you can supply spot-coated plate cutter could well be a solution that optimizes lead digital packaging solutions with the same fl exibility, times, for you and your customers. without waiting for plate supplies for your TRESU iCoat With the integrated digital folding carton printing 30000 coater. Th e TRESU iCut 30000 Digital plate cut- and coating line, featuring the TRESU iCoat 30000 ter is a simple, on-demand prepress solution for these coater, converters can off er packaging in smaller vol- situations: a B2-size sleeve can be imaged directly from umes, and much shorter lead-times, economically. Th is fi le, and mounted in the coater, in a production cycle of service fl exibility, uniquely possible with digital print- just 10 minutes. A compact unit with a small footprint, ing, is increasingly demanded by brand owners. Th ey TRESU iCut 30000 off ers precise register without the recognize the immense value it unlocks, by reducing need for shrinkage compensation. Th e only other costs stockholding costs, ensuring availability of goods in are the coating plate and the tape. store at short notice and enabling high-margin solu- PrintingNews.com/12411608

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RICOH Pro C9200 and C9210 Bosch Xelum R&D Graphic Arts Editions Bosch Packaging Technology introduced its latest R&D device for Th e RICOH Pro C9200 and C9210 Graphic Arts Editions provide an aff ord- the continuous production of oral solid dosage (OSD) forms. Th e able, predictable way for businesses to maximize revenue due to its uptime platform ensures a short time to market and optimum dosing of and reliability. Ricoh’s latest strategic investment empowers customers to APIs. As opposed to the common complex mass fl ow rate, excipients expand into new markets with the ability to produce book jackets, six-page and active ingredients are dosed as a discrete mass in the Xelum brochures and other unique applications that require media of up to 470 R&D. Th is makes it possible to dose even smallest amounts of APIs gsm. Th e presses support up to 470 gsm and have the capacity to run the of less than one percent. Th e system doses, mixes and granulates longest paper lengths in the market today: 49 inches simplex and 40 inch- individual packages, so-called X-keys, which continuously run es auto-duplex. Th is enables the production of more advanced applications through the process chain and are removed successively from the and the ability to drive down the cost per piece. Additionally, the series sup- machine as packages into bins. ports a laser resolution of 2400 x 4800 dpi with a large color gamut without Since the Xelum R&D uses the same components for dosing, sacrifi cing speed or versatility. mixing and granulating as the Xelum production platform from Th e RICOH Pro C9200 series also produces consistent, professional Bosch, process parameters are identical and can be directly trans- output due to its in-line sensors that automatically aid improved front-to- ferred 1:1. Current continuous production systems for wet gran- back registration and color calibration, without requiring advanced oper- ulation mostly use twin screw granulators. Th e Xelum system ator skills. Moreover, the larger 17 inch Smart Operation Panel brings new relies on fl uid bed processors – based on a proven technology job- and workfl ow-management options directly to the device, on a single developed by the Bosch subsidiary Hüttlin. In the fl uid bed, gran- screen, including the ability to monitor and manage print jobs remotely ulation and drying take place in the same process chamber. Both through either an EFI Color Controller or the RICOH TotalFlow Server. Both the production and the product transfer, as well as the cleaning the RICOH Pro C9200 and C9210 are ENERGY STAR certifi ed and carry an process are recipe-controlled and ensure reproducible results. EPEAT Silver rating. PrintingNews.com/12414016 PrintingNews.com/12414012

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