50years of publishing excellence 1962–2012
JUNE 2012 | VOLUME 50, NUMBER 6
PSDA Honors 2012 PEAK Award Winners PAGE 30
Get to Know PSDA President Joe Webb PAGE 20
PRINT SOLUTIONS MAGAZINE June 2012
FEATURES PERSPECTIVES
04 EDITOR’S MESSAGE Learning from the Best By John Delavan 06 EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Life Is Easy By Matt Sanderson 10 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Reflections on PSDA’s Progress By Bill Prettyman 16 PSDA PROFILE A Family Approach 20 Not Just a Regular Joe By Alexa Schlosser By Heidi Tolliver-Walker Family-owned Adcraft Decals has Joe Webb brings a lifetime of rich personal and professional experiences grown and prospered as a decal to his new role as PSDA’s president. and label manufacturer through- out the past 50 years due to expert staff, friendly customer 30 CO VER STORY/SPECIAL FEATURE SECTION service and quality products. 2012 PEAK Award Winners 98 CASE STUDY The Print Excellence and Knowledge (PEAK) Awards are PSDA’s ways of showcasing extraordinary and successful print applications from the The Evolution of past year. PSDA hosts this annual competition to honor the work of High-Speed Inkjet print professionals who have met their customers’ needs by providing By Heidi Tolliver-Walker outstanding value-added products and services through creativity in de- With its recent purchase of an HP sign, production, fulfillment and other services while solving problems or T200 Inkjet Web and a Hunkler improving business functions. In this special section, take a closer look automated bindery line, Missouri- at all of the award-winning submissions and get insights from one of the based Mail Print succeeds in judges, Print Solutions writer Darin Painter. using high-speed inkjet to deliver integrated multichannel solutions 32 Appreciating Accomplishment for clients. By Darin Painter Print and marketing services professionals, you deserve our ap- 116 FINAL THOUGHTS plause. Entries for PSDA’s annual PEAK Awards keep getting better, Employee Orientation and this year’s winners are a testament to your collective innova- By Sallie Biittner tion, creativity and practicality. PEAK Awards judge Darin Painter offers his take on the submissions and what they say about the Steps to Guarantee a Positive evolving industry. Return on Your Investment 38 Inventor, Defender and Champion By Darin Painter DEPARTMENTS ProDocument Solutions, sponsor of this year’s PEAK Awards, has won a Grand Award in the PSDA competition for seven consecutive years. The security document technology firm is drive by innovation 14 PSDA NEWS and education. 102 INDUSTRY NEWS 42 PEAK Award Winners List Compiled By Alexa Schlosser 44 Award for Overall Excellence: Vanguard Direct 46 Grand Award Winners 110 CLASSIFIEDS 94 Award of Excellence Winners 114 ADVERTISER INDEX
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 3 EDITOR’S MESSAGE
Learning from the Best BY JOHN DELAVAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Volume 50, Number 6 | June 2012 ast week, I had the pleasure of working with the rest of the PSDA staff team at the 2012 Print Solutions Conference PUBLISHER Matt Sanderson & Expo. (That’s me in the picture below, taken in the [email protected] PSDA booth.) And, like at last year’s conference, I found 312.673.5822 theL Print Excellence and Knowledge (PEAK) Awards presentation EDITOR-IN-CHIEF John Delavan [email protected] to be one of the event’s many highlights. Recognizing print 312.673.4825 manufacturers and distributors — and, perhaps more importantly, ART DIRECTOR William Wargo their hard-working staffs — for their superlative and innovative [email protected] work is a lot of fun. It also substantiates that many people and 312.673.4991 companies in this industry continue to do truly great work. ASSISTANT EDITORS Frances Moffett [email protected] 312.673.5818 In this issue of Print Solutions, we are proud to showcase all of the PEAK Award winners Alexa Schlosser prominently. Beyond celebrating the successes of print professionals — the vast majority [email protected] of them PSDA members — we want to showcase them as examples of outstanding 312.673.5791 efforts that may inspire you to do your own great work, which you can then submit for EDITORIAL RESEARCH Charlie Roberts PEAK Awards consideration next year. Learning from the best can only help you deliver [email protected] 202.367.2385 better solutions to customers. ADVERTISING SALES Dave Merli [email protected] This year’s judges identified 43 Grand Award winners in various PEAK categories and 202.367.1219 winners of Awards of Excellence in 11 of those categories. The judges also identified a Ryan Abell winner of the 2012 PEAK Award for Overall Excellence, given to the entry that stood out [email protected] as the best among all submissions. View photos of each winning entry and read the stories 202.367.2332 behind the submissions in the special section that begins on page 30. This year, we kick off the section with a feature story from PEAK Awards judge Darin Painter, who offers a behind-the-scenes look at the judging process and identifies six trends that surfaced Print Solutions™ is the flagship monthly magazine among this year’s impressive PEAK submissions. He also provides five quick tips for of the Print Services and Distribution Association companies wanting to submit entries for PEAK consideration next year. Enhance your (PSDA). Since 1946, PSDA has been the exclusive non-profit professional association dedicated to strategic approach and take the first steps toward your own potentially PEAK award- enhancing the success of the distributor channel for winning work. business communications, including print, marketing and related services. As the oldest and largest non-profit association in the industry, PSDA’s members include I’d like to recognize distributors, trade printers, suppliers and technology partners working together to provide differentiated ProDocumentSolutions for solutions to end user customers. sponsoring this year’s PEAK EDITORIAL POLICY Awards. Learn more about this Print Solutions is a respected industry magazine that has innovative company, which has been published continuously since 1962. As the premier publication for the print distribution industry, each issue won a Grand Award for seven contains content to help readers improve their businesses, expand their markets and learn new ways to sell print consecutive years, in an article and related services. To submit news items, story ideas that begins on page 38. or manuscripts for publication consideration, contact any of the editorial staff members above via email or phone. Publication of any article or advertisement should not be Beyond the PEAK Awards considered an endorsement of the opinions expressed or coverage, don’t miss our products advertised. Statements of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply profile of Joe Webb, who approval or endorsement on the part of the Publications assumed his role of president Committee, officers, membership or staff of PSDA. of PSDA during a ceremony in POSTAL INFORMATION Print Solutions (USPS 205-400, ISSN 1535-9727) is Baltimore. There’s much more to Joe than his role as owner of Formsystems Inc. He is an published monthly by PSDA, 401 N. Michigan Ave., interesting and special person, and Heidi Tolliver-Walker’s article captures his spirit and Suite 2200, Chicago, IL 60611. Phone: 312.321.5120, Fax: 312.673.6880, Email: [email protected], Website: love for life. Read more beginning on page 20. www.psda.org. Subscriptions are free for PSDA members (included in membership dues) and $99 for Thanks to everyone who attended the 2012 Print Solutions Conference & Expo. Look non-members (plus US$60 postage for addresses outside the United States). Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL, for complete wrap-up coverage of PSDA’s signature annual event in the July issue of and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Print Solutions, c/o PSDA, 401 N. Michigan Ave., Print Solutions. Suite 2200, Chicago, IL 60611. Copyright 2012 by PSDA. All rights reserved. Magazine content may not be reprinted without the publisher’s permission.
4 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG Visit us at Booth 601 at the 2012 Print Solutions Conference & Expo. EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Life Is Easy BY MATT SANDERSON, PSDA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
change. It’s easy to forget what a critical on specialty stock that is able to accept role our industry’s solutions play in ink in a printing process as well as ink everyday life — unless you keep them top from a pen (entrants were asked to hand- of mind. write emergency contact information on the back), all while being durable Look Around enough to resist tearing, and withstand Last month, I participated in a running water, sweat and Gatorade. The back of race in Chicago called the Chase the bib contained two Radio Frequency Corporate Challenge. This 3.5-mile Identification (RFID) tags. It was a highly ave you ever had the race draws nearly 25,000 participants complex piece, for reasons that became experience where you are and takes place after work hours in clear to me afterward. introduced to someone, read downtown Chicago. The bright red race On race day, I walked by table after an interesting article about bib for the event sat on my desk for aH new technology or hear about a new table containing race awards, bottled several days prior to the race, and I found book, movie or gadget — and then soon water, T-shirts, bananas, printed bags myself taking inventory of the various and other giveaways. It was a showcase thereafter you encounter a reference to manufacturing and finishing processes it again? This happened to me growing of sourcing, fulfillment and logistics that were involved in producing the bib, precision worth noting. up when I took a job one summer at a as well as the features of the bib itself. local U-Haul rental center. For months Multiple die cuts, perforations, duplex Within minutes of completing the race, I that summer, and beyond, I saw U-Haul printing, shells with variable imprinting was able to scan the QR Code on the front trucks seemingly at every turn. It felt like containing sequential numbering and of the race bib to retrieve my race results, something more than a pure coincidence. heavy personalization including a QR including finish time and place. Enabled It turns out that this can be explained by Code. Additionally, the bib was printed by the intersection of print (QR Code), something psychologists refer to as the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon. In effect, our brains are so biased toward pattern recognition — a powerful adaptation for learning — that we subconsciously overweigh the significance of unrelated observations such that they appear to us to be related somehow. Non- coincidental events don’t grab our attention with the same intensity, and therefore they fade into the background of our consciousness. Magnifying this phenomenon is another psychological phenomenon, the recency effect, which increases awareness of things we encounter when they occur in the near future. In short, if something is on your mind, you are likely to be reminded of it often. And these two effects combine to make it seem like something more than chance.
In a corollary of some sort to the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, I catch myself seeing our industry’s solutions everywhere I turn. Perhaps this is because I am still learning this industry, Look Around: This race bib shows how the smart use of print, data and technology can simplify a or perhaps it’s due to the rapid pace of complex process, improve user experience and boost campaign ROI.
6 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
RFID technology and integrated back-end subconsciously feel that there is more to at the show and among peers was systems, this was a clear improvement it than pure coincidence. You’ll be more very high. And it goes beyond the over the traditional method of retrieving likely to be “in the conversation.” number of badges scanned. If you’re race results (looking them up on a website doing it right, you’re spending time a day or so after the race). What’s more, Beyond social media, here are three listening and learning from each it made for a very social scene — people suggestions to help find yourself in the conversation — using what you heard scanning QR Codes and congratulating conversation with your customers: to help differentiate your company, yourself and your solutions in terms one another. Real engagement. t Leverage the PEAK Awards of the value they bring to your Program. Each year, PSDA, with The day after the race, I received two customers and prospects. emails from Chase. I opened both the support of the Print Education of them — both because I was now Research Foundation (PERF), holds Make Life Easy exceedingly curious and because Chase a competition called PEAK (Printing Excellence and Knowledge), which Attendees at PSDA’s Print Solutions was top of mind. Each email contained Conference & Expo earlier this month personal messages and an offer that was showcases innovative products, solutions and partnerships in our heard me tell a story about my daughter, tailored to the interests I had expressed Jane, and her favorite T-shirt — one I’m industry. The winning entries are when signing up initially. convinced she would wear every day if featured at the Print Solutions given the choice. There has always been I don’t know what the “click-through” rate Conference & Expo as well as in something special about that shirt for was on the QR Code race bibs — I sent my Print Solutions (see this month’s cover her. It is made of extra soft, gently faded story and special section). If you want contacts at Chase an email and will share cotton, and it has the clever image of a to see where our industry is going, anything I am able to learn. But the closer cat and a dog hugging — right above the take a close look at the PEAK Awards. I look at this experience, the less I see a word “Peace.” The shirt’s real power is in If you are a PEAK Award winner, use running race, and the more I see a complex its simplicity — a slogan that resonates the award and associated coverage business process enabled by print, data, with people of all ages: “Life Is Good.” technology and fulfillment. It’s the type of to tell your company’s story to your challenge — at various scales — that end- customers, prospects and employees. I made the point in Baltimore that there user customers are trying to accomplish If you are not a PEAK Award winner, was an equally simple phrase that could every day in their businesses. consider entering the competition represent our industry, our channel: “Life next year, or use this month’s Is Easy.” And it’s not because anything Find Your Way into the magazine to familiarize yourself, your about our industry is easy these days. employees and your customers with Conversation When you take away all of the noise and the impact that our products and boil down the value delivered — the very The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon — solutions can have. essence of our distribution channel — it even if not by name — must be at the t Contribute to Print Solutions comes down to making life easy for our root of advertising in general, as well Magazine. Much of the content in partners and for end-user customers. as the more recent push toward social Print Solutions comes from, or is PSDA members — including our 2012 media. In fact, the two sessions at this suggested by, PSDA members. We try PEAK Award winners — do this every day. month’s Print Solutions Conference & to address the issues facing member Up and down the supply chain, by taking Expo that related to social media received companies in our original writing. But on execution risk, bringing solutions to the staggeringly positive feedback. Feedback Print Solutions magazine can be a vital table and streamlining processes. on the session titled “Making a Name part of your own communications for Yourself: How to Use Social Media, I’m confident that long-term success in efforts. If your company has news to SEO and Public Relations to Grow our industry is not about finding the right report, send it along. If your company Awareness with Prospective Customers partner — but becoming the right partner. has an interesting story to tell, share and Employees” received an overall score In this business, the right partners make it with our editorial team. The output of 4.94 (out of 5) from session attendees. life easy. And there’s a T-shirt slogan in can be used to raise awareness of your there somewhere, I’m sure! The session “Using LinkedIn for Sales and company, and PSDA and the Print Business Development” received a score Solutions team are here to help you. of 4.95 (out of 5). Both sessions scored a perfect 5.0 on the question “Can you t Invest in Face-to-Face apply what you learned to your job?” Communications. In talking with exhibitors and attendees at the Print The business case for investing in social Solutions Conference & Expo in media and/or other forms of awareness Baltimore, I continue to sense the Matt is enhanced by the Baader-Meinhof power of networking, visibility and Phenomenon — people that encounter good old-fashioned face-to-face your brand, or you, regularly will contact. The quality of conversations
8 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Reflections on PSDA’s Progress BY BILL PRETTYMAN, PSDA BOARD PRESIDENT
hroughout the past 20 months, your efforts. PSDA has made significant progress in many areas. In PSDA Staff Team this article, I hope to help you We have a great staff team. Please take the Tunderstand where PSDA came from time to get to know them. I want to thank to get where it is today. This progress Matt Sanderson, PSDA’s executive vice would not have been possible without the president, for his incredible hard work leadership of the board, the hard work and commitment to enhance the value of the PSDA staff team, the commitment of PSDA to its members and to rebuild to service of volunteer members community and connectedness in our and the PSDA community at large. I association. We are fortunate to have Matt “When I thank each of you for your amazing as our leader. I want to thank Barbara contributions in helping PSDA improve O’Connor, PSDA’s operations manager, reflect on the value to its members. We are here for her dedication in doing whatever it to serve our member community, and takes to get the job done. Your level of the past two the contributions you have made are caring continues to amaze me. Thank you years, I am appreciated. to John Delavan and Bill Wargo — editor- When I reflect on the past two years, I in chief and art director, respectively, of Print Solutions magazine — for their am grateful for the wonderful people I grateful for work on the magazine, and especially have had the opportunity to work with in their efforts to enhance the editorial our association. I thank everyone who is the wonderful quality and design to make a difference making a difference in PSDA. So, I want for our members. Thank you to Julie to begin my reflections with the most Ferry, PSDA education director, for her people I important thing: thanking those people work on delivering great education at our who have made a difference in driving the events, as well as her work on the launch have had the association forward. opportunity of PSDA On-Demand Training. PSDA Board of Directors Thanks also go to many other great to work I want to thank members of the PSDA contributions from staff team members board for their efforts throughout the Breon Baker, Murphy Goodworth, with in our past two years. You have made my job Jackie Hilmes, Catherine Perkins, Ryan easier because of your enthusiastic Abell, Dave Merli, Charlie Roberts, association. participation, your eagerness to serve Lydia Goessel, Anita O’Boyle, Frances our members and your desire to give Moffett, Alexa Schlosser, Carli Franks I thank back and make our association a better and many others. We have tremendous organization. You have volunteered resources behind the scenes that we have countless hours through face-to- yet to tap fully through the support of everyone who face board meetings, conference and our association management company, committee calls, personal calls to SmithBucklin, and I know you will see is making a members and many other activities — all more in the future. for the betterment of our association. I difference in continue to be impressed by your desire Member Volunteers to do what is best for PSDA and the level The association is made stronger through PSDA.” of care you exude. I have been blessed to the involvement of member volunteers. be a part of the board and thank you for There is much work to be done, and we
10 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
need members who are willing to make occurred primarily because of board place regarding PSDA’s relevance in a difference and serve. I want to thank involvement and the proactive pursuit our changing industry to support its all of the member volunteers who have of getting to know members by our members. This is very refreshing to see: stepped up to do the work that could executive vice president (EVP), Matt companies and people helping each not have been accomplished without Sanderson. The board discussed that we other, and PSDA becoming responsive to them. Please continue to be involved needed an EVP who would be the face changing needs. and encourage others to do the same. I of the association, meeting members also want to thank the Print Education and rebuilding a sense of community. The overall sense is that PSDA is on more Research Foundation (PERF) board for We found this in our new EVP, and Matt solid footing than it was two years ago. its continued financial contributions to executed on that strategic priority. Matt The association is engaging members, and members are responding with their participation, input and support of PSDA. 4. Financial and Resource Flexibility In order for PSDA to survive and thrive, it must be financially strong, and the decision to move to SmithBucklin (PSDA’s association management company) has provided the necessary financial and resource flexibility. While we previously had more than 20 full- time staff at a fixed cost, we now have a blended team, with a core group of help deliver great educational programs has crossed the United States visiting full-time staff team members who work to our members. members, attending industry meetings alongside a talented group of part-time and networking with organizations that colleagues with specialized experience. our members may find of value. This model enables PSDA to put talented Members resources in place when and where they I want to thank all members of PSDA for Community also has been built through are needed without carrying their full- their decisions to invest time and resources improved PSDA events such as the time cost. As an example, if a conference to improve the association and to challenge Print Solutions Conference & Expo, takes six months to plan, we can use our the board and staff team to improve it. I CEO Summit and Small Distributor conference team resources heavily during believe that through the board, the staff Summit. If you have participated in that period and lighter during the rest team and member volunteers, PSDA any of these events, you have seen of the year (when some of them may be will continue to provide immense value improvements in networking and needed to plan conferences for other to member organizations. We are the educational opportunities, as the formats organizations). This shared resource only trade association dedicated to the have been adjusted to meet our members’ model makes sense for PSDA – and it is distribution channel, and we are committed recommendations and requirements. similar to what our distributor members to supporting your business. do for their customers today, tapping into The building of our community has talent and expertise as needed. Next, I will cover some larger themes created a sense of positive energy. Members are sensing that something defining PSDA’s progress, and then Achievements I will describe some of the specific great is taking root, and this will continue improvements for our members. I will to develop over time. The following is a brief list of also discuss the future of PSDA. accomplishments to help members better 2. General Confidence understand the progress PSDA is making. There is a sense of confidence in Big Themes what is happening with PSDA. The 1. Print Solutions Magazine The following are some big themes that atmosphere at this year’s CEO Summit Print Solutions magazine is the leading have driven PSDA’s success. is one example, as is the engagement publication in the print distribution of member committees. The education industry. We have developed a significant 1. Build Community committee developed five hours of online amount of useful proprietary content and One of the biggest improvements to coursework on the use and value of will continue to do so. Print Solutions PSDA during the past two years is the variable data campaigns. contains content to help readers advance rebuilding of the PSDA community. We their businesses, expand their markets are not where we want to be yet, but 3. Future Focus and learn new ways to sell branded significant progress has been made. This Much healthy dialogue is taking communications solutions, print and
12 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG related services. During the past 18 t PSDA’s annual PEAK Awards that can serve as needed infrastructure months, Print Solutions has undergone a coverage, honoring outstanding work for our members large and small. There is visual redesign, which not only ushered by print professionals in nearly 40 something for everyone: new employees, in a new, contemporary look that categories. In 2011, we took what had sales, sales support/CSRs. We introduced reflected PSDA’s brand identity, but also previously been done and expanded several education bundles, including a revitalized editorial strategy. As PSDA’s the PEAK editorial section so that The Professional Development Bundle, official magazine, Print Solutions strives every Grand Award winner received The Successful Negotiation Bundle, The to differentiate itself from other industry a full page of visually impactful Basics of Printing Bundle and individual publications by featuring PSDA members’ coverage. The change made the June courses as well. One of our volunteer news, insights and success stories most issue a new “signature” issue for us education committees created a Variable prominently. Among the new and and gave valuable exposure to PSDA Data Printing Bundle to better educate enhanced content and resources now member companies that are doing members on that topic. available exclusively to Print Solutions great work. You’ll see this expanded readers are: PEAK presentation once again in this 6. Online Sourcing Guide Launch issue of the magazine. This was launched at the Print Solutions t Monthly PSDA Profiles spotlighting conference and is a big improvement member companies and their t We’ve delivered on a major area over prior online sourcing resources. This products and services — this is a of focus for PSDA and the print guide is available 24/7 and complements new section that has become highly industry: the development and other sourcing resources that we have. popular with members/readers. retention of young professionals who represent the future of the business. t Monthly case studies showcasing The themed issues in February The Future of PSDA success stories involving PSDA 2011 and February 2012 were I believe that PSDA has a bright future member manufacturers and very well received and represented as we adapt to members’ needs. Our distributors. We compiled 10 of these unprecedented depth of coverage of members are evolving their businesses, in a special section of case studies in this topic in our industry. and PSDA must and will evolve with those the December 2011 issue — another changing needs. Please continue to speak first for the magazine. 2. Member Retention with board members and the staff team, We have seen increasing membership t Monthly columns with insights letting them know your vision for your from the PSDA president, Executive retention and reached 87 percent in 2012, company and how PSDA can best support Vice President Matt Sanderson, and a high watermark in recent years. where you are going. Such outreach will Editor-in-Chief John Delavan — three 3. Gaining New Members help PSDA remain relevant for you. representatives of PSDA who reinforce The staff team has focused on attracting PSDA has made significant improvements that Print Solutions is PSDA’s magazine new members to grow the association. to adapt to the ever-changing needs of our and provide unique perspectives and In fiscal year 2012, PSDA already has industry. I am confident that incoming industry and association topics. more new members than in all of 2011. PSDA President Joe Webb, the rest of the t A new section called simply PSDA We have prior members returning to PSDA board and the PSDA staff team are News — the anchor location for PSDA, as they see the value in what the prepared to continue to drive progress for association-related news in each association is providing. the association and add value for members. month’s magazine, again reinforcing Print Solutions as PSDA’s publication. 4. Improved Financial I have been truly blessed by serving as Performance PSDA’s board president in more ways t Monthly columns from PSDA partner than I can count. Serving is an act of Affinity HR Group — a new back page Our association was profitable in 2011, stewardship and the most important column — regarding management with a strong balance sheet. This will quality of leadership. Stewardship is my trends and strategies, geared toward allow the board and the staff team to No. 1 goal. I hope that I have met that PSDA member companies. make decisions to improve the value for our members now and in the future. challenge for our members. I want to t PSDA’s exclusive annual Sourcing thank you for the opportunity to lead Guide (formerly known as Buyers’ 5. Rebrand Online Education the association throughout the past two Guide), a comprehensive directory PSDA’s online education program has years. I am grateful for all that each of of manufacturers and suppliers for been relaunched, and it’s now called PSDA you have done and will do to make PSDA buyers of print and related products On-Demand Training. It offers broad a great association. I wish you joy and and services. This publication is industry, product and skills-based courses success in your future. PS now produced in full color (great for readers and advertisers), and the Bill Prettyman is the outgoing president of PSDA and president/chief executive officer of Wise, 2012 Sourcing Guide included new one of the United States’ largest independent print and marketing service providers. Contact him “Featured Advertiser” spotlights as via phone at 888.815.WISE (9473) or via email at [email protected]. upgrades.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 13 PSDA NEWS
Meet the What is your role on the PSDA staff team? My role on the PSDA staff team is that of an ambassador for our trade printer/supplier members PSDA Staff to our PSDA distributor audience. I work with trade printers/suppliers to create partnerships that Team give their products exposure to the PSDA distributor sales force. Having been a PSDA staff member for a few years now, how do you RYAN feel about the future of the association? ABELL Last year, I believed that PSDA had been given a shot of energy and new perspective, and I believe Sales Coordinator that energy went beyond just the new staff and engaged many of our long-standing members. There are a lot of exciting new things, such as the Online Sourcing Guide, that will provide our members with a new way to connect with new business partners for various products.
What is your favorite PSDA memory or experience? After working with PSDA for about a year, I was able to attend my first Print Solutions Conference & Expo in Baltimore in 2008. Coming from the sales side of PSDA, I had talked with many of our manufacturer members before, but had limited contact with distributor members. Through meetings and discussions with distributor members, I obtained a better understanding of the needs of each member segment and the relationship between distributors and manufacturers. I was able to bring that enhanced understanding into my role on the sales team as I built new partnerships.
What are some “fun facts” or surprising pieces of information about you? I’m originally from San Diego, Calif., so I root for all of my home teams, in addition to Villanova Basketball. I have a wonderful 2-year-old son named Charlie. Last fall I retired from my kickball team, BigFoot, after we won the DCKickball Championship. Lastly, I open bananas the same way chimpanzees do.
Grow Your Business and Knowledge with On-Demand Training
Take advantage of convenient, web-based training designed to help drive growth for your business and advance your career with PSDA On-Demand Training. On-Demand Training consists of a collection of timely, impactful educational content developed to drive business growth and advance the careers of print industry professionals.
This new offering from PSDA covers a wide array of relevant topics including sales, customer support, industry basics and professional development. PSDA On-Demand Training replaces Print University, although some of the more popular legacy content has been carried over to the On-Demand Training platform. This program was made possible through generous funding provided by the Print Education & Research Foundation (PERF). Log on to the On-Demand Training website at www.psda.org/?OnDemandTraining.
14 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG
PSDA PROFILE
A Family Approach Family-owned Adcraft Decals has grown and prospered as a decal and label manufacturer throughout the past 50 years due to expert staff, friendly customer service and quality products. BY ALEXA SCHLOSSER
round the same time “The no surprise that Talion described Adcraft Dick Van Dyke Show” first Decals as a helpful, friendly group. “We premiered on CBS, all the always try to be kind and respectful to way back in October of 1961, anyone we deal with so whether or not aA small Cleveland-based company called we get the order, the people we deal will Adcraft Decals was quietly emerging as a always feel comfortable to come back screen printer to the trade. The company to us and know they will be treated as didn’t stay quiet for long, however. Within we all would like to be treated. This is a three years of its founding, Adcraft Decals tough business, but that doesn’t mean was forced by “growing pains” to move to you cannot form good relationships and a larger facility in Independence, Ohio, even friendships.” said purchasing manager Jim Talion. Fifty years later, Adcraft Decals is still This breed of “excellent” customer service going strong. is a crucial element of Adcraft Decals’ success, Talion said. “[Customer service] seems to be a dying art in our country, Exceeding Expectations and it must be re-emphasized as a critical The PSDA member company is family component if we expect to turn the tide owned, and has been from the start. of diminishing opportunities. Nothing Talion’s father was once an owner of the can replace the personal, concerned company, and Talion fondly remembers touch of a dedicated CSR.” working at Adcraft Decals in the summer as a kid, learning “the finer points of the Although Adcraft Decals clearly focuses business” he would later officially join. heavily on offering impeccable, friendly The mission of the company now, all these customer service, the company is also years later, hasn’t changed much. “Our confident in its high-quality products. mission today is the same as it was in “Our people About half of the company’s work the beginning: We will provide a quality involves urethane doming, Talion said, product, delivered on time, competitively take great pride which is when clear urethane is cast priced, meeting and exceeding the onto the surface of the decal, creating customer’s expectations,” he said. a 3-D look. The company also offers in solving the polycarbonates, vinyl, metalized and Exceeding expectations is extremely white polyester, clear polyester, static important to Adcraft Decals. And it’s unsolvable issues vinyl, plastics, reflective, prespaced not just something company officials say graphics and lettering, floor graphics, and fail to achieve. The home page of the and providing protective laminating and, most recently, company’s website includes many shining digital printing. accolades from customers. “We have used logical, customer- Adcraft Decals as our urethane supplier Solving the Unsolvable for more than 10 years. The unsurpassed friendly solutions Friendly customer service representatives quality, along with high level of service and quality products are certainly and support, has enabled us to increase for changing valuable, but Adcraft Decals has another sales every year. Keep up the good work!” talent to offer. “Our production staff, said one display manufacturer. applications.” along with our suppliers, knows that we will take on any challenge. We don’t Providing Quality Products Jim Talion Purchasing Manager believe in a ‘comfortable niche.’ Our and Service people take great pride in solving the Being a tight-knit, family company, it’s unsolvable issues and providing logical,
16 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG
PSDA PROFILE
customer-friendly solutions for changing rely on Adcraft daily. These people are It helps to solve the unsolvable when you applications. We do this to support the our sales force, and we depend on their have a full-service art department — many distributors, brokers and reps that efforts to help make Adcraft successful.” where the average artist boasts 22 years of experience — and a customer service team with equally impressive representatives. The company’s triple threat of kindness, quality and intelligence are why customers look to Adcraft for the best solution.
Looking Ahead The age of digital printing has arrived, and while that might sound foreboding for a decal and label producer, Adcraft Decals is not worried. Talion argues that “screen printing will always have a place in the printing world,” but he also understands that the role of the screen printer will continue to change. “The advent of digital printing transformed the landscape of our industry immeasurably,” Talion said. “We opted to wait before jumping on the digital revolution until we found the type of machine and inks that would be compatible with our screen print line and the specific needs Adcraft Decals recently purchased an M&R 6-color Conquest that, along with the 30” x 40” screens, of our customers. We found the perfect allows the company to screen a job from beginning to end in one pass. The Conquest joins the two combination in December 2011 and M&R Eclipses with 40” x 50” screens and four M&R Saturns with 25” x 38” screens. have begun to offer digital printing for prototypes, samples and short-run requirements. This step forward makes us even more diverse and definitely more competitive.”
This positive attitude and willingness to change with the industry bodes well for Adcraft Decals. Although it won’t necessarily be easy, Adcraft has been a growing and prospering company for more than 50 years. If that’s any indication of how the company will perform moving forward, then customers can continue to expect the friendly and savvy Adcraft family to serve them for many years to come.
Learn more about Adcraft Decals’ products and services at the company’s website, www.adcraftdecals.com. PS
Adcraft Decals was one of many exhibiting companies at the 2012 Print Solutions Conference & Alexa Schlosser is assistant editor of Expo. Taken of the company’s booth, this photo shows the variety of decals Adcraft manufactures and Print Solutions. Know of a PSDA member designs. About half of Adcraft Decals’ work involves urethane doming, which is when clear urethane is company that should be featured in cast onto the surface of the decal, creating a 3-D look. The company also offers polycarbonates, vinyl, a future PSDA Profile? Contact her at metalized and white polyester, clear polyester, static vinyl, plastics, reflective, prespaced graphics and [email protected]. lettering, floor graphics, protective laminating and, most recently, digital printing.
18 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG
CONTINUED HEAD
Joe and Karen Webb enjoy spending time at their “getaway home” on Florida’s Anna Maria Island.
20 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG Not Just a Regular Joe Joe Webb brings a lifetime of rich personal and professional experiences to his new role as PSDA’s president. BY HEIDI TOLLIVER-WALKER
uring the 2012 Print Pensacola that raised everything from ducks and lakes full of catfish, bass and Solutions Conference & Expo corn to cattle to catfish. So when Joe bream — and, of course, water moccasins. in Baltimore, PSDA members Webb says he was “born on a farm,” he said heartfelt “thank yous” really was. “We came home from school and cut Dto Bill Prettyman, who has done a grass and ground corn for feed,” Webb tremendous job as president of PSDA for Joe’s parents were born during the Great recalled. “We baled hay in August when it the past two years, and welcomed PSDA Depression and grew up understanding was 100-plus degrees. It was intense work. President Joe Webb. the value of hard work. During the day, My first job was at 9 years old, tossing Joe’s father worked as a Jordan room corn into the corn grinder to be ground Most PSDA members know Joe Webb operator in a paper mill (“He controlled for feed.” as the owner and vice president of sales water flow to pulp, so what people call and marketing at Formsystems Inc., ‘paper mill stink’ to us was Florida Needless to say, Webb learned to work a leading-edge distributor based in perfume!” Webb joked). In time off from from an early age. “Growing up on a Pensacola, Fla. They might also know the mill, he worked the farm. farm, you don’t miss a day,” he said. “Even and admire him for his vast industry since then, I’ve never had a day without knowledge, his service to the industry The Webbs passed that work ethic on to work or a job.” or his incredible work ethic. They Joe, whose first clients were the farm’s also might know him from his days as more than 100 heads of cattle, along with Webb carried that work ethic (along with regional director for PSDA Region 3, the attendant chickens, hogs,g horses, his tolerance for Florida perfume)p) into his his time at Moore Business Forms or his tenure at Duplex Products. They might have attended his classes or peer group sessions at PSDA Small Distributor Summit or CEO Summit, participated in his local forums in North Carolina and Florida, or worked next to him rebuilding a home in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.
But what other interesting things might PSDA members like to know about their association’s new president? What are those things that put a personal face on his leadership or give you, as friends and colleagues, an excuse to poke him in the ribs?
Early Days Down on the Farm If you want to know where Joe Webb got his work ethic, you can start with his parents, Joe and Frances Webb. The Outgoing PSDA President Bill Prettyman, left, hands the gavel to new association Webbs owned a 160-plus-acre farm in President Joe Webb during the 2012 Print Solutions Conference & Expo. NOT JUST A REGULAR JOE
TheT Webb Clan analyze them more thoroughly. “I try to JoeJ Webb has two siblings who shared be more of a visionary and strategist for tthe farm tutelage. His sister, Jenny, business development,” he said. “She’s wworks for Liberty Office Products. the one who puts everything down in (“Ironically, she got the job through writing to make sure we can afford it. PSDA member Sam Young based on a She complements me and keeps me conversation we had at an association grounded.” event!”) His brother, Ken, works in the oil business. Both live in Houston. Hard Lessons in Today, Joe Webb is married to his Customer Service wife, Karen, and has two sons. His After picking okra, plowing fields and elder son, Jodie, is 38 and runs his “herding mad cows,” Joe Webb’s first job own promotional marketing business outside the family was at a cousin’s florist in Pensacola, Fla. Webb’s younger shop as the delivery person. It was here son,so Kevin, is 36. He works for St. Jude that Webb got his first lessons in dealing Medical in sales of pacemakers and with the public. From an early age, Joe Webb put in a lot of work defibrillators (possibly a reflection of his on his family’s farm. Joe is seen here, at age 5, father’s heartburn in raising two boys). A few memories continue to stick out steering a tractor with his dad, with his brother from those days, and the lessons learned Ken, age 3, sitting on the front of the tractor. He lives in St. Petersburg, Fla. are some that he still draws on today. One Webb’s initial attraction to his wife and particularly vivid memory comes from first summer job in college. He worked at a soul mate is truly a story of why you one Mother’s Day weekend. want to be nice to your clients. When paper mill as a digester operator and later as they met, Karen was a buyer, and one “The staff had just worked 24 hours a plugger on the paper machine. “I would of the toughest he had. “We had an straight, and a client called at 5 p.m. the load the digester with chips and caustic acid adversarial relationship,” he recalled with Saturday before Mother’s Day, wanting to cook the pulp and come home smelling a laugh. “She was tough on me.” Once us to prepare an arrangement for his like it,” he recalled. “At least it was money she transitioned from print buyer into mother,” Webb recalled. “When I told for the college fund and a few other software sales, however, the relationship him we were out of flowers, boy was he things I should have done without.” changed. “Today, she is the president of mad. This longtime customer wanted us Formsystems, my boss, and tougher than to bail him out, and there were no flowers The irony of the fact that he ended up ever on me!” to bail him out with. In a job like that, running a company built around the you learn to deal with difficult situations.” value of paper does not escape him. Joe That toughness (“realism” as Webb also sees this as a combination of “design, describes it) continues to encourage Fortunately, that never happens in the invention and a lot of luck.” Webb to look at issues more deeply and printing industry.
Joe Webb enjoys spending time with his family, including time at his vacation home on Florida’s Anna Maria Island. Joe is also shown here during a Christmas holiday with his grandchildren Joseph and Gabriella.
22 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG
NOT JUST A REGULAR JOE
“Maintaining good customer relationships those clients and do something for them After the “oppressive” life of the military isn’t about handling the easy things,” they don’t expect. Show them how you prep academy, Webb decided to enlist Webb said. “It’s about handling the tough value and appreciate their business and in the “comfortable” life of the Marine ones. It’s how you listen and find a way relationship. That will speak volumes.” Corps. During 1971, he joined the USMC to work through them. That’s why, at Reserves – 13th Force Reconnaissance. Formsystems, as soon as we learn there Something else Webb learned from The mission was reconnaissance training is issue, we contact the customer. We’ve a good client — a customer for more for amphibious and air insertion and than 25 years — is that if you’ve made found that when you take the situation extraction. to them right away, they will often work a commitment and something derails with you to resolve the problem. They help the process, it is best not to start the “There was a lot of water work, paddling you come up with alternatives to find the discussion until you have a solution in rubber rafts and jumping out of workable solutions.” hand. “They don’t want to hear what you helicopters, airplanes and C-130s (with a can’t do,” Webb said. “They want to hear parachute, of course!) to recon a beach for How do you handle customers who want what the solution is. We go in and say, amphibious landing assault,” he said. More to blame you for their mistakes? “We ‘What we planned to do won’t work in great training for the printing industry! re-talk through the process,” Webb said. this situation, but here is another way to “You can never blame the customer. go about it.’ Quite often, that’s a helpful The result was an experience Webb Instead, you talk through what has taken approach to avert disaster, controversy believes that every adult man and place. Be as understanding as possible and disappointment.” woman in this country should have. and let them know you feel their pain. “The Israelis have this one right,” he Take ownership. Lay it out, and when Hiring Lessons from said. “Every male and female should go they see it unfold, they often understand the Military into the military for two years. It teaches that you have done everything you could responsibility. Not just for yourself, but Another aspect of Webb’s customer and you’re just up against the wall. Soon for others. It teaches discipline. Today, service and management philosophy is after any issues are resolved, go back to young adults have this ‘me’ attitude. teamwork — working for the collective When you go through the military, it’s bbenefit. That came from his time in about teamwork. It is also about covering tthe military. He started out at the each other’s backs and getting the job MMarion Military Institute in Marion, done. If you don’t, people get hurt. Your AAla., but after a year, he decided an teammates depend on you. Too many oofficer’s life wasn’t for him. kids graduate from college and are nowhere near being prepared for life or a job or career. I see it over and over.”
This perspective has translated into the hires Webb makes at Formsystems. “If candidates come to us straight out of college, you really want them to have a good work history versus good grades and no work history,” he explained. “You want someone who knows about work ethic, working with others and responsibility. That said, we are looking for a youngster for our next hire — someone who can give balance to our office dynamics, someone who has grown up with technology and can teach us a thing or two.”
Business Philosophy in the Shaping In 1971, Joe Webb joined the United States Marine Corps Reserves – 13th Force These early experiences shaped Webb’s Reconnaissance. Joe, whose work involved business philosophy in other ways, reconnaissance training for amphibious as well. One of them is by creating a and air insertion and extraction, said company culture of serving. Everyone his time in the military taught him the importance of teamwork and taking in his office is involved in some form of responsibility for one’s actions. serving the local community.
24 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG “It is not a requirement. It just says customer, as well. “WeWe something about who we are,” he said. “Our believe in communityty graphic designer plays hand bells, sings and stewardship and thatt performs at a nursing home every Friday. makes a big differencece Our sales team members are involved in the fabric of in service organizations such as United our company,” he Ministries, several Chambers of Commerce, explained. “We the Rotary, soccer coaching and ministry encourage that activities at their local churches.” involvement by being flexible with Joe is a lay leader in his church work time. People (Cokesbury United Methodist Church) in the community and is leading a vision team to restructure know you and its two-campus ministry. He is also respect you and very active in autism awareness and want to be involved with you. you If you can can education (See “Commitment to Autism Joe and Karen Webb in his office at Pensacola, build the relationships and those efforts Fla.-based Formsystems Inc., where Joe serves Awareness” on page 26). Webb describes are sincere, the rest will take care of itself.” as owner and vice president of sales and Formsystems as a very faith-based marketing. company, and most of the employees have Career Path to a high level of church and community Entrepreneurship involvement. His first job was with Moore Business Joe’s path to entrepreneurship and Forms. He started there in 1972 and Joe sees “serving” not just as serving the company leadership came through some worked in sales for two years. Seeking external customer, but serving the internal well-known names in the business. greater opportunity, he left to work for
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 25 NOT JUST A REGULAR JOE
Lewis Business Forms. The company there had run its course. Believing there “Returning home from a President’s was subsequently acquired by Duplex remained a lot of business forms and Award trip, I had this sense that I was Products (Sycamore, Ill.), where he spent print to be sold, he left to work for Better building the future for someone else,” he the majority of his career. After 18 years Business Forms (Pinellas Park, Fla.), said. “At the time, I was 45 years old. I (1990), Duplex decided that electronic where he stayed for five years until he had told Karen that I wanted to start my own forms were the future of the forms a premonition about the future. business. She was very supportive and business, and Webb thought his time kindly gave me the $830 needed to start
Commitment to Autism Awareness
One of Joe Webb’s personal commitments is to help and immediately wanted his check! He required constant communicate and advocate for autism awareness and supervision and several naps along the way. After a few acceptance. This commitment began when Autism weeks and help from an autism work specialist, David’s Pensacola came to Formsystems needing help with a work began improving. Despite the time and effort this printed program and promotional products for its annual endeavor took, our staff ultimately marveled at the fundraising gala. lessons we learned from this amazing young man, who is now a high school graduate and works for a local minor The Webbs were also invited to attend the gala and were league baseball team. It is exciting to know we were a seated at the table with families of children with autism. small part of something so significant.” One family stood out because it had two children with this neurological disability. Learning from this family about its Webb is in his second three-year term as member of Autism struggles and the effect autism has on so many became Pensacola’s board of directors, where his major contribution Joe and Karen’s connection point to connecting the pieces. is speaking civic and church organization events. As Formsystems became better acquainted with Autism One of the association’s initiatives is to add to its Pensacola, the company’s entire staff became involved as summer six-week Kids for Camp, a full-year education well. Webb now describes the relationship with the autism program integrated with the local school system. As a community as being more like that of a family. Bonnie fundraiser, Joe and a paddle friend kayaked the Suwannee Wooton, Formsystems graphic designer, volunteered to River for eight days, staying in tents and river camps, and write its quarterly newsletter. Formsystems provides the raised $25,000 for autism education. The Suwannee printing as an in-kind gift. River starts in the Okefenokee National Park in Georgia and runs 240 miles through Florida to the Gulf of Mexico. “One of our greatest experiences was having a young man with autism (David Byram) come to work for us as When hearing of this endeavor — without solicitation — an intern,” Webb recalled. “In the beginning, it was a many of Joe’s PSDA friends contributed to its success. total disruption. He walked in the office on the first day To these, Joe said, “Thank you.”
One of Joe Webb’s personal commitments is to promote autism awareness and acceptance. As a fundraiser, Joe and a friend kayaked the Suwannee River for eight days and raised $25,000 for autism education. In addition, Joe’s company, Formsystems, hired a young man with autism, David Byram, as an intern. David is pictured here receiving his first paycheck, along with proud mom Susan Byram.
26 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG NOT JUST A REGULAR JOE
up the business (with two kids in college home from work one day and drove into get run over by a truck, those jobs and then, things were very tight).” In 1995, the the cul-de-sac , there was an 18-wheeler careers are still there, and the customers Webbs opened Formsystems in an extra backed up to the garage, with neighbors continue to be served.” room in their house. crawling in and out of the 18-wheeler like ants. They were unloading binders When asked about Formsystems’ niche, While working with Better Business and building manuals for one of our Webb described it as in relationships, Forms, Webb had several major clients whether with people locally or beyond transportation company accounts. She got with forms management contracts in the his community. He used this as an out and said, ‘You have to get an office.’ ” health care, transportation, education and opportunity to turn the conversation hospitality industries. He wrote letters to to PSDA. them all, informing them of his departure It’s Not About You and that his now former employer would With success came the need for space, “Leadership isn’t something you ask provide a new representative for them. equipment, technology, staffing and for,” Webb said. “It’s something you are Then he left all those contracts behind. human resources, and all of the things selected for. This is one of the reasons Webb had a noncompete agreement for that go with them. Formsystems now I have such a high level of respect for a year, but soon after it expired, Webb’s employs a staff of eight and hopes to PSDA’s board of directors. PSDA takes former clients started coming back to continue its expansion to better serve its such great lengths in its vetting process. him, one by one, until they were all customers. I’ve never seen a board member just customers again. placed there. PSDA always has about “When you start a company, it’s not about 30-plus candidates they look at for years, This success had a downside — Joe had you anymore,” Webb said. “I’ve gone from watching how they perform and how to get a real office. “I’d been in business being responsible only for my own family they are giving back to the association for about a year,” he recalled. “We had to being responsible for eight others. But and contributing to the industry. PSDA a middle-class home, in a middle-class creating a stable workplace is something doesn’t bring people on because they are neighborhood, and when Karen came that can live on in perpetuity. Even if I popular or represent a certain industry. It
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 27 NOT JUST A REGULAR JOE
“ Maintaining good customer relationships isn’t about handling the easy things. It’s about handling the tough ones. It’s how you listen and find a way to work through them.”
Joe Webb, Owner of Formsystems Inc. and PSDA President
brings them on because they represent a on transitioning to the leaner, more In turn, companies need a competitive need on the board and create a balance in efficient shared resources structure edge and a place to go for knowledge talents and gifts. That’s why I believe our offered through association management about the new technologies that drive this board is in a really good position to guide company SmithBucklin. industry. “They need a place to train sales our association to an even better place representatives and improve the skills than it is in today.” “Our transition from the old to the of their customer support staff,” Webb new was complex and difficult,” he explained. “How do you hire the right acknowledged. “You have to appreciate the Looking to PSDA’s Future people and provide the benefits to keep work and sacrifice of the PSDA volunteer them? They need training and education As the association’s new president, leadership in the countless hours they on things we’re all trying to get our arms Webb is looking forward to helping lead put into the planning and restructuring. around like QR Codes and applications, PSDA’s charge into the future. “There SmithBucklin is made up of professionals pURLs, VDP, cross media, and social and is such a great need for what PSDA has who are the best at what they do and are mobile media. There is so much more we to offer and not everyone knows it,” leading PSDA in the right direction as they have to offer to the customer today — the he said. “The competitive challenges continue to make subtle changes in the challenge is: How do we make it work, and are mind-boggling. From the financial way we conduct our business, serve our how do we finance it? All these electronic situation here in the U.S., to the housing members and plan for the future.” and seamless solutions seem to have a lot market, to what’s going on in Europe, of touching points, but where would we be During the time spent investigating the to the influence of the Internet. I was without them?” just reading an article on how Best Buy transition, Joe recalls meeting several has been basically abandoned by its SmithBucklin executive directors, some With such diverse requirements, where customers because of what they can do of which he lobbied to hire. “Fortunately, do distributors go to get the whole online. Loyalty today has a different we found a candidate who is the best of picture? “Most of us have attended other meaning than what we grew up with.” the best and the hardest working of them conference shows, such as PPAI, ASI, all: Matt Sanderson,” he said of PSDA’s DMA, Dscoop, Graph Expo and many How can PSDA help? Although the current executive vice president. “As others,” Webb concluded. “While these association offers many member services, president, my tasks will be to keep him are good, they do not provide all that our Webb focused on networking — not smiling more, reading at least one book distributor model needs. Our mission just the kind of networking that helps per month and spending more time with is to continue to be ‘the place to go’ to you find vendors or partnerships to land his family — the latter being the most attend educational programs, receive accounts, but the kind that help you in important.” training and network with peers. It will every facet of business. take a collaborative effort by all — the distributor, manufacturer and supplier “PSDA members are a captive audience,” A Big, Bright Future working together — to understand the he said. “It’s your own focus group and If you walk up to Joe Webb and ask him new threats and opportunities to our board of directors rolled into one. Daily I what he wants to do with PSDA, he is industry and determine how we can work am learning and discovering something likely to answer your question with a collectively to keep the print industry new or going to someone through PSDA question: “What do you need from the healthy and strong.” PS that allows me to provide a solution association?” What does he hear in or solve a problem to better serve our return? “Members are telling me they customers. This is information that, have business challenges and threats without this association, I would not to their business with the Internet and Heidi Tolliver-Walker has been a customers who no longer understand commercial and digital printing industry have had access to.” analyst, feature writer, columnist, editor loyalty,” he said. “In that environment, we and author for nearly 20 years. She is a Webb said much of PSDA’s emphasis have to work harder, smarter and longer frequent contributor to Print Solutions. during the past two years has been than we ever did before.”
28 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG
CONTINUED HEAD
he Print Excellence and Knowledge In April, three industry leaders met at PSDA’s (PEAK) Awards are PSDA’s way headquarters in Chicago to judge the heaping pile of showcasing extraordinary and of entries. After examining each entry and reading successful print applications from the the accompanying details, Bill English of Superior T past year. PSDA hosts this annual Business Solutions, Robin Marchetti of Wise and competition to honor the work of print professionals Darin Painter, a contributor to and former editor of who have met their customers’ printing needs by Print Solutions magazine, carefully chose 43 Grand providing outstanding value-added products and Award Winners, 11 Awards of Excellence Winners and one Award for Overall Excellence. services through creativity in design, production, fulfillment and other services while solving This PEAK Awards section kicks off with Darin problems or improving business functions. Painter’s feature “Appreciating Accomplishment” about the quality of this year’s submissions and what they say about the evolving print industry. Painter identifies six positive trends that appear in the entries and provides examples of each. The section continues with a profile of security document technology company ProDocumentSolutions, which has won a Grand Award for seven consecutive years (including two this year).
The PEAK Award winners themselves round out this special section. Each page features a Grand Award Winner, with a two- page spread reserved for the prestigious Award for Overall Excellence winner and the last couple pages listing the 11 Pictured at PSDA headquarters are PEAK Awards judges Bill English, Robin Marchetti, and Darin Painter, Award of Excellence recipients. along with PSDA’s Charlie Roberts. 2012 PEAK AWARDS Appreciating Accomplishment Print and marketing services professionals, you deserve our applause. Entries for PSDA’s annual PEAK Awards keep getting better, and this year’s winners are a testament to your collective innovation, creativity and practicality. One of this year’s PEAK Awards judges, Print Solutions feature writer Darin Painter, offers his take on the submissions and what they say about the evolving industry. BY DARIN PAINTER
ost days, I would be Today, on the blue-sky morning of things: 1) PSDA’s efficient and friendly looking at a nondescript April 24, 2012, PSDA’s conference room staff members had organized the rectangle with metal legs, tables are anything but plain. The light entries in rows by award category, and a collection of pushed- in the room is bright, and on the tables everything is labeled clearly. This is no Mtogether tables that stretch for about 20 sit stacks of printed products and entry small task. 2) Judging might take a while, feet in Conference Room 24A-B at PSDA’s forms, a nearly overflowing collection of and products are readily available to headquarters in downtown Chicago. product samples, folders, thumb drives, support my caffeine habit. 3) There are labels, business cards, kits, paperclips and really smart people beside me: fellow Consider typical conference room tables shipping tubes. judges Bill English of Superior Business for a moment. When nothing’s on top of Solutions and Robin Marchetti of Wise, them, and nobody’s sitting around them, I’m standing at a left corner of the heap. as well as PSDA sourcing guru Charlie they are still-life snapshots of expectation. In front of me and to the right are more Roberts, who assisted throughout the They are usually basic and brown, than 100 submissions to the association’s judging process. fixtures of a setting where something will annual Print Excellence and Knowledge hopefully happen later — the thought of (PEAK) Awards, sponsored this year by Bill, Robin and I talk about how we’re co-workers collaborating, ideas forming, PSDA member ProDocumentSolutions. excited to tackle the PEAK pile. We partnerships beginning. Immediately, I’m thankful for three vow to approach our judging task with curiosity and openness and to refer often to the six criteria written in magic marker on a flipboard for easy reference: 1) level of innovation; 2) suitability based Five Quick Insider Tips for Next Year on the client’s intent; 3) print quality; 4) Here are some ideas to note in preparing for next year’s PEAK Awards. distinction from similar products in the category; 5) strategic significance; and 6) t Don’t assume anything. Explain the application in detail. We were production complexity. surprised to find some descriptions were only a few sentences long. The samples seemed interesting and probably had important backstories, Before the judging begins, we wonder: but judges can’t assume why a project was successful without context. What creative ideas and innovations Provide as much detail as possible. will literally be in our hands? How have t Support your entry with samples and screenshots. When possible, send members of the print supply chain jointly an actual product sample. It’s easier for judges to see rather than try to helped end users solve problems or visualize. capitalize on opportunities? What trends will we notice? t Explain the project from the customer’s viewpoint. There’s room for self-congratulations, but tackle the entry form copy in plain-speak. Talk about why it mattered to your client. Include specific results whenever This Annual Competition Is possible. Strong Because You Are t Mention unexpected challenges or issues you had to overcome. No When I helped PSDA launch the PEAK project is perfect. Consider framing your content in the Challenge > Awards in 2005 (at the time, I served as Solution > Results format, like a mini case study. Also, it’s fine to managing editor of Print Solutions), we mention what you think might happen next with a project. didn’t know what to expect, or if the idea t Add an interactive element. We stopped the judging to watch a few had any legs. But we knew an important videos that accompanied entries. They further explained entries or truth: Companies deserve to be featured them in action. recognized for the solutions they devise and deliver, and PSDA member firms have plenty of success stories to tell.
32 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG
2012 PEAK AWARDS
Your unique print and marketing services questions about those opinions, politely Hate Gas” campaign it created for an applications make a difference to end users. disagreed occasionally and collectively energy client. Its solution helped the Every day, distributors, manufacturers chose the PEAK winners that are listed client to promote natural gas to oil and suppliers provide outstanding, value- on page 42. (You also can check out heating customers and achieved ROI added products and services to meet their details regarding all of the winning of an astounding 984 percent. customers’ needs. Some of these solutions entries beginning on page 44.) are complex and dynamic; others are See page 65 for more about this simple and straightforward. All great As I collaborated, cajoled and caffeinated, winning entry. PEAK entries are clear and compelling, I also typed notes into an open file on pushing communication forward in one my laptop, especially when an entry TREND 2 way or another. impressed all three judges and raised the excitement level of the room. I also noted Building strong distributor/ Today, the PEAK Awards contest is still when an entry distinctly went beyond manufacturer partnerships and going strong because you are. PEAK the norm in a category or generated communicating openly to focus Awards are still handed out because your particularly impressive results for the on the end user companies continually achieve new heights. customer. (See “Five Quick Insider Tips Many PEAK entries showed evidence of for Next Year” on page 32.) strong ties between and among supply That’s not easy, especially when the chain members, and not only in the Best marketplace seems to keep throwing you Six Trends Gleaned from Collaboration Between a Vendor and opportunities disguised as obstacles. For Distributor category. There’s a difference certain, much has changed since 2005. PEAK Entries between turning to a vendor for products Some firms have embraced the digital When I organized the file, six trends or tools and relying on a vendor for ideas transformation and stopped positioning stood out about this year’s impressive and consultation. themselves as “print” providers. Some crop of PEAK submissions. They serve have built new revenue streams and as an interesting signpost to where To remain effective, any communication formed partnerships with software savvy distributors, manufacturers and method (print or non-print) must deliver providers, tech firms, marketing agencies suppliers are heading: messages that people want in a way that’s and others once considered to be on the relevant, useful and timely. Distributors, industry’s periphery. manufacturers and suppliers increasingly TREND 1 work together to make that happen. Despite the breakneck speed of change, Helping clients make money, this industry’s commitment to customers not just save it EXAMPLE: Cooley Group Inc. and hasn’t wavered. Your customers’ issues Conversations about price and Printco Inc. collaborated on a self- are your issues; their wins are your production costs will likely exist in promotional personalized URL (pURL) wins. Progressive distributors now perpetuity, but many marketing service campaign that drove recipients to Cooley essentially wear the providers are kick- Group’s end-user event. Printco helped same color jerseys as starting different in the design and implementation of their clients’ internal dialogue, talking about the project, as well as the printing and mailing. The collaboration realized a marketing teams, ways to find, target, win nearly 45 percent response rate to the and manufacturers and retain customers. and suppliers enrich pURL and subsequent emails, and nearly those distributors with Some impressive PEAK 200 customers attended the show. pioneering products entries were from See page 48 for more about this and mututal trust. firms offering website winning entry. development and strategy That sentiment was that drive business, more than just a personalized direct shared spirit among mail pieces that build Bill, Robin and I as we began judging the loyalty and revenue, email campaigns that PEAK Awards. The power of what you turn readers into advocates, social media do was physically present in our hands programs that enhance brands, search as we held, analyzed and discussed each engine strategies that boost rankings and submission. campaign analytics that refine marketing Simply put, we were not surprised to be strategies. extremely impressed. EXAMPLE: Synapse Marketing Solutions We read every word of every entry form, won a Grand Award in the Direct Mail — devised opinions, asked each other Lead or Acquisition category for the “I
34 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG
2012 PEAK AWARDS
TREND 3 better than your competitors, because technologies come to the forefront, some Individualizing the end user’s those competitors are also finding ways people assume the “old” technology will be experience, not just customizing to gather and manage information. Some displaced. This has been said about print. distributors are winning business by a variable field or two talking about improving processes, not This couldn’t be further from the truth, Social media, mobile marketing and just products, and they’re finding ways to based on the immediate positive reaction other technologies have made it turn customer data into action. some printed pieces elicited from judges. possible for brands to connect to their targets virtually anywhere those people With more advanced data capturing Common print materials such as happen to be. Multiple touch points tools available, campaigns are constantly brochures, direct mail, business cards and across multiple media channels — with generating valuable information about posters continue to play an important customized, creative, timely messages customers. After all, what good are role in business communication. Just that aim to create a holistic, engaging numbers and percentages unless they consider that even at geeky tech events experience — are in high demand. help make you and your customers (which I happen to love), everyone still smarter, more effective and more hands out printed business cards. People Digital printing with common variable responsive? trust print. They can’t fast-forward past it, data fields such as name and address used they don’t need to charge it and its beauty to be impressive; now they’re standard. Some distributors that entered the PEAK is undeniable. Some great PEAK entries, including several Awards provide data and analysis of Too often, however, design is an pURL campaigns, moved beyond common their customer communication across all afterthought to a printed piece. Some customization and focused on the receiver’s channels. With this PEAK entries began with ongoing experience with a brand. information, end design concepts that users can assess established or supported EXAMPLE: Superior Business Solutions the effectiveness the themes of printed won a Grand Award in the Promotional of their pieces, and they exemplified Campaign — Video category for its communication the power of print. entry, “Build a Brochure.” It included to create proper a video testimonial that weaves a follow-up EXAMPLE: A folder product demonstration with a customer messages. can show flash, not just testimonial into a persuasive storyline. function. Admore, a The video is used in email marketing EXAMPLE: division of Ennis Inc., campaigns and offline in face-to-face MPX won the Grand Award in the won the Grand Award in the Binders/ Innovation category for a custom sales presentations. The firm’s on- Folders category for its entry, “Quoth enrollment portal it created for a client in demand variable data technology enables the Raven,” a Halloween-themed folder the insurance/benefits industry. Through clients to send individually customized promotion. Each component of the folder negotiated products available to each brochures to prospective students. was designed to demonstrate Admore’s individual of the client’s customers, technical abilities, including print on foil, See page 90 for more about this communications must be tailored to each sculpture embossing, tight registration, winning entry. customer individually based on offerings, soft-touch coating and custom die enrollment period, enrollment method cutting. and supporting product information. MPX’s ability to work with data made the See page 50 for more about this solution a success. winning entry. See page 75 for more about this winning entry.
TREND 5 Combining high-quality print with high-impact design As marketers seek new ways to find, win and retain business, they’re getting more comfortable with what used TREND 4 to be called “new media” — search Gathering, interpreting and engine optimization, banner ads, social using data to drive action networking, email marketing and much It’s no longer enough to put ink on paper more. Whenever new communication
36 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
TREND 6 But somehow, looking into the dark Getting involved at the ideation conference room, my mind’s eye still pictured all those product samples and stage rather than later, during folders and shipping tubes. production More distributors are being invited to The room, like the industry, is the white-board discussions, encouraged to opposite of nondescript. It’s exceptional, share ideas for tackling a challenge and vibrant and full, and overflowing with to develop cross-media strategies that potential. serve as the starting point for execution. By serving as PEAK Awards judges, Bill, This requires true partnership and trust Robin and I were treated to a panoramic between the end user and distributor, and view of our industry in action. I can still the result is often deeper conversations picture the stacks and rows of entries and connections. in my head. I’m honored to write about The Industry According to InfoTrends, marketing an industry in which there’s so much to cover. Congratulations to all of the executives are seeking support in Is Vibrant and Full of winners showcased in this issue of campaign strategy and development, Potential Print Solutions! PS design across multiple media types, By early evening, the PEAK Awards tracking results, and acquiring and judging was complete, and the pushed- together tables in PSDA’s Conference Darin Painter is a regular contributor managing data. Salespeople who address to Print Solutions and owner of content these concerns and can “speak the Room 24A-B were cleared. Nothing was marketing services firm Writing Matters. language” of marketing tacticians can sitting on top, and nobody was sitting Learn more at www.writingmatters.com. open doors their procurement-stuck around. The lights were off. peers cannot.
As some PEAK entries revealed, distributors are helping their clients select platforms that reach target audiences in the way they want to be reached and to respond the way they prefer to respond.
“Can we get this printed?” is being replaced with “Can you talk to us about what we should communicate, and how?”
EXAMPLE: RBO PrintLogistix won a Grand Award in the Bar Coded Products category after one of its hospital clients invited the firm to suggest a different way to handle its blood banding process.
See page 47 for more about this winning entry.
All Six Trends in One Application All six of the aforementioned trends were evident in the customer onboarding campaign Vanguard Direct handled for the Municipal Credit Union. That campaign, which resulted in a 42 percent increase in additional products purchased by new members as a result of the campaign, won the 2012 PEAK Award for Overall Excellence. See pages 44-45 for more about this winning entry.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 37 2012 PEAK AWARDS Inventor, Defender and Champion ProDocumentSolutions, sponsor of this year’s PEAK Awards, has won a Grand Award in the PSDA competition for seven consecutive years. The security document technology firm is driven by innovation and education. BY DARIN PAINTER
PSDA distributor recently president of International Security Products sat in his office on a summer Inc. (ISP), a sister firm that handles the morning in Southern development, production and marketing of California and stared blankly technologies related to anti-fraud security atA a check in his hands. The check solutions. “It would be almost impossible to appeared to include a void pantograph come up with the security solutions we have in the shape of a sunburst. But this was a delivered without truly having a love for dark day — the check was a phony. what we do.”
The distributor’s customer, an agricultural In 2003, ProDocumentSolutions became company, had fallen victim to a Fortunately, ProDocumentSolutions (Pro) the new name of Pro Forms Inc., which counterfeiting scheme in which hundreds has developed effective ways to stop them. Noal’s father George had begun in 1979. of bogus payroll checks, each written for George Phillips had noticed a growing between $295 and $300, were cashed. A Mindset of Constant need for document security, and the A bank teller didn’t realize that the company had been building a reputation pantograph on the face of the check, a Advancement for mixing “high tech” (the ability to rainbow image on its signature line and Pro, a Paso Robles, Calif.-based security develop and patent anti-duplication an artificial watermark on its back were documents printer, serves as a security methods) with “high touch” (listening to all duped. The criminals even created a documents think tank, one that distributors and helping them meet their perforation to match the legitimate one. continually pumps out technologies that business objectives). empower distributors to keep end users’ These ordeals are becoming more documents secure. Today, Pro offers a wide range of unique common, according to the FBI and the patented technologies that provide both The company has won a Grand Award Federal Reserve. The counterfeiting of covert and overt protection for security in the Print Excellence and Knowledge checks, certificates of authenticity, college documents. The company works closely (PEAK) competition for seven transcripts and other documents has with (and is a licensee of) Verify First consecutive years, mostly in the Forms – become a highly sophisticated crime, Technologies (VFT), an international Security Documents category. (See pages costing banks more than $1 billion a year. leader in product and document security 72 and 92 for details about the two Grand As digital publishing equipment becomes technologies. VFT has been issued 20 Awards the firm won this year.) faster and simpler to use — one recent case U.S. and European patents and has in Alabama involved checks successfully “We have a passion for security, and it numerous patents pending for other anti- altered and cashed by third graders — continually shows in our innovation,” fraud technologies. George Phillips and “point and click” criminals have easier said Noal Phillips, a 20-year veteran Noal Phillips are named as U.S. patent ways to create false documents. security documents expert at Pro and also inventors for integrated copy-void and
“We’re hearing from customers every day about document security, and it’s helping us drive answers to meet those challenges. That’s really what it’s all about.”
Noal Phillips, ProDocumentSolutions, Paso Robles, Calif.
38 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
validation security features and copy- of what makes a security feature truly Pro develops security technologies by resistant paper. secure is its uniqueness and difficulty to using three main criteria: be digitally replicated. We were driven Noal Phillips said the mission of Pro to protect the technologies and ideas we t Identification of authenticity— At is to provide cost-effective security came up with, and then develop chains least one layered technology (a true methodologies that are extremely difficult of custody to maintain and communicate watermark, for exmple) should be to replicate or reverse-engineer but also those technologies. We do not focus on interactive and easy to verify. enable easy verification of authenticity security features and products that are t Reproduction difficulty — At least when the document is presented. “Part generic and easily replicated.” one layered technology should be
Deciding What’s PEAK-Worthy
“A lot of what we’ve been winning in the PEAK Awards is our meat and potatoes — the technologies we provide on a daily basis,” said Noal Phillips of ProDocumentSolutions, which has captured a Grand Award for seven consecutive years. When sifting through his mental Rolodex of successful projects that might win PEAK Awards, here are some questions Phillips considers:
t Did the application showcase our innovation? If so, that’s a good sign. But if the project felt routine and included features distributors could get from multiple vendors, it’s not selected for PEAK judging.
t Did we solve an interesting need or challenge? The best solutions often begin with tough demands and serious concerns.
t What was the result? How did it help a distributor or its end user get properly protected, or save time and money without sacrificing value?
t What was the coolness factor? A big-name end user or a custom, eye-catching security feature never hurts.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 39 2012 PEAK AWARDS
next-to-impossible to duplicate and should deter criminals by forcing them to use expensive equipment and extensive expertise to replicate the original. t Cost effectiveness — The cost of producing technology shouldn’t exceed the perceived risk.
All three criteria are about function, not just flair. “We take the time to understand the challenge — how will the document be used, what is its value and how will it be presented for authentication? — before we talk about possible answers,” Phillips said. “Every customer is different, and every application is unique. We love it when distributors invite us to the table and, together, we figure out the solution that’s best for the project.”
ProDocumentSolutions of Paso Robles, Calif., was the sponsor of this year’s annual PEAK Awards The Value of Communication and a featured exhibitor at the 2012 Print Solutions Conference & Expo in Baltimore. Noal Phillips is and Education shown here in the company’s booth with the PEAK Awards the company won. End users who have experienced fraud make it a priority to find distributors who Of these more advanced technologies should be balanced against added cost. secure documents. But forward-thinking created by Pro, two of Phillips’ favorites You wouldn’t want to add a hologram distributors don’t sell only to customers are MetallicSafe and TamperSafe. to a 25-cent coupon,” he says, but birth who have been duped; they seek and Documents that include MetallicSafe certificates or Super Bowl tickets might remedy problems before they occur. technology have an anti-copy area where warrant such protection. print-sensitive information (personal Doing so requires knowledge of unique Education doesn’t have to stop when ID, Social Security number, etc.) turns and effective security features — or, the sale is finalized, Phillips said. It’s black if copied, as well as a non-copyable perhaps more often, a trusted vendor smart to walk end users through proper foil consecutive control number or that can help explain them. “We feel a procedures for storing their newly static logo of the customer’s choice that responsibility to educate our customers, secured documents and to read helpful is validated by spectral light reflection. and we work hard to keep them updated new education material from high on best practices, trends and technologies,” TamperSafe uses a steel-engraved die security technology and innovative Phillips said. He added that, through Pro, to embed a latent image within the vendors such as Pro. PSDA distributors have access to the latest substrate (for example, a capital “V”), research and education materials produced revealing itself at acute angles and also “We have great relationships with PSDA by sister company ISP. For a recent project, making it possible to verify by touch. distributors, and we encourage them to Pro delivered educational brochures and The TamperSafe process applies a heat- share their issues, questions and results helped to train people responsible for released holographic laminate under high with us,” Phillips said. “As some segments validating vehicle titles. pressure and is impossible to remove of the printing industry have become without destroying the substrate. commoditized, we’re well positioned with “Too often, the untrained person value-added solutions to keep growing accepting the document overlooks When distributors discuss security and help our customers do the same. the not-so-obvious covert or complex projects with prospective clients, Phillips We’re hearing from customers every day security features,” Phillips said. “While said, it’s smart to talk about overt about document security, and it’s helping these security features are useful, they features that are easy to recognize, but us drive answers to meet those challenges. are not always effective without layering that layering documents with covert That’s really what it’s all about.” PS with newer technologies.” Pro is so features has become cost-effective as confident in its more advanced security an added layer of protection. He also technologies that it is the only company said distributors should consider the Darin Painter is a regular contributor customer’s size, location and type of to Print Solutions and owner of content in the world that offers a $1,000 guarantee marketing services firm Writing Matters. against fraudulent replication of the business before deciding which security Learn more at www.writingmatters.com. technologies, he says. features to highlight. “The risk of forgery
40 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG
2012 PEAK AWARDS
CATEGORY: Labels & Tags – Prime WINNER: Labels West Inc., Woodinville, Wash. PEAK Award Winners ENTRY: Peabody Jones Vodka Label CATEGORY: Labels & Tags – Workflow WINNER: The Flesh Company, St. Louis, Mo. Award for Overall Excellence CATEGORY: Digital Printing – B2C ENTRY: SC Wild Turkey Tags Pages 44 and 45 WINNER: Promo Print Solutions Inc., Oshkosh, Wis. ENTRY: Keurig Brew Over Ice POS CATEGORY: Packaging CATEGORY: Direct Mail WINNER: AccuLink, Greenville, N.C. WINNER: Vanguard Direct, New York CATEGORY: Digital Printing – Short Run ENTRY: Tissue Box ENTRY: Municipal Credit Union Onboarding WINNER: Bristol ID Technologies, Lima, N.Y. Campaign ENTRY: CAO Cigars Business Card CATEGORY: Plastic Cards WINNER: Bristol ID Technologies, Lima, N.Y. Grand Award Winners CATEGORY: Digital Printing – VDP ENTRY: 2011 Little League World Series Credential Pages 46-92 WINNER: Clients First Inc., Westfield, N.J. CATEGORY: Affixed/Integrated Products ENTRY: Burndy – Knock It Out of the Park CATEGORY: Plastic Cards – Gift Cards WINNER: The Flesh Company, St. Louis, Mo. Dimensional Mailer WINNER: Travel Tags Inc., Inver Grove Heights, Minn. ENTRY: KinderCare - Read Share Give ENTRY: Nordstrom Blades of Grass Gift Card CATEGORY: Direct Mail CATEGORY: Plastic Cards – Mailer CATEGORY: Bar Coded Products WINNER: RBO PrintLogistix, Maryland Heights, Mo. WINNER: Ward/Kraft Inc., Fort Scott, Kan. WINNER: RBO PrintLogistix, Maryland Heights, Mo. ENTRY: SchoolReach Wedding Invitation ENTRY: EWGA Member Mailing ENTRY: LaserBand Blood Band CATEGORY: Direct Mail – Lead or Acquisition CATEGORY: Plastic Cards – Self Promotion CATEGORY: Best Collaboration Between a WINNER: Synapse Marketing Solutions, Lancaster, Pa. WINNER: Bristol ID Technologies, Lima, N.Y. Vendor and Distributor ENTRY: Rhoads Energy – I Hate Gas Campaign ENTRY: Bristol ID Business Card WINNER: Cooley Group, Inc. & Printco Inc., East Syracuse, N.Y. CATEGORY: Direct Mail – Loyalty CATEGORY: Promotional Campaign – B2C ENTRY: Self Promo pURL Campaign WINNER: AccuLink, Greenville, N.C. ENTRY: 60 Plus Campaign (InteliMailer) WINNER: Classic Forms & Products Inc., Beaumont, Texas CATEGORY: Binders/Folders ENTRY: LIT Orientation WINNER: Admore, a division of Ennis Inc., CATEGORY: Direct Mail – Self Promotion Macomb, Mich. WINNER: : iPROMOTEu, Greenville, Wis. CATEGORY: Promotional Campaign – Best Kit ENTRY: Quoth the Raven ENTRY: Thanks for Penciling Me In WINNER: iPROMOTEu, Greenville, Wis. ENTRY: iPROMOTEu Prospect Kit CATEGORY: Client Cost Savings CATEGORY: Envelopes WINNER: Conformer Products, Inc., Great Neck, N.Y. WINNER: The Flesh Company, St. Louis, Mo. CATEGORY: Promotional Campaign – Event Promotion ENTRY: Ernst & Young – World Entrepreneur ENTRY: Pricing Roll Back Labels WINNER: RBO PrintLogistix, Maryland Heights, Mo. of the Year ENTRY: RBO FanTools Lunch & Learn CATEGORY: Commercial Printing CATEGORY: Envelopes – High Impact WINNER: RBO PrintLogistix, Maryland Heights, Mo. CATEGORY: Promotional Campaign – Multi-Media WINNER: Western States Envelope & Label, ENTRY: St. Louis Up-Close Calendar Butler, Wis. WINNER: RBO PrintLogistix, Maryland Heights, Mo. ENTRY: Green and Purple Grip Guides Envelopes ENTRY: Rug Décor Hand-Knotted Rug Campaign CATEGORY: Commercial Printing – 4C+ Multi- Component CATEGORY CATEGORY: Forms : Promotional Campaign – Point of Purchase WINNER: RBO PrintLogistix, Maryland Heights, Mo. WINNER: Promo Print Solutions, Inc., Oshkosh, Wis. WINNER: E-Bisprint Pty Ltd., Tuggerah, New South ENTRY: RBO reThink Brochure Wales, Australia ENTRY: Tecate Grand Prix Snap Mobile Pole Topper ENTRY: Calvary Medication Charts CATEGORY: Commercial Printing – Booklets CATEGORY: Promotional Campaign – Promotional Products WINNER: Wright Business Graphics, Portland, Ore. CATEGORY: Forms – Security Documents WINNER: Gill Studios Inc., Lenexa, Kan. ENTRY: Social Media Booklet WINNER: ProDocumentSolutions, Paso Raobles, Calif. ENTRY: Healthy Workplace CATEGORY: Commercial Printing – Books ENTRY: University of Heidelberg Transcript WINNER: DocuMedia Group, Irvine, Calif. CATEGORY: Promotional Campaign – Video WINNER: Superior Business Solutions, ENTRY: Orange County Public Library CATEGORY: Fulfillment Project Kalamazoo, Mich. Anniversary Book WINNER: Quality Resource Group Inc., ENTRY: Build a Brouchure Plymouth, Minn. CATEGORY: Commercial Printing – Embellishment/ ENTRY: Sonography Kit Finishing CATEGORY: Promotional Campaign – B2B WINNER: FormStore Incorporated, Fenton, Mo. WINNER: Team Concept Printing & Thermography, CATEGORY: Green Solution ENTRY: FormStore EMPOWER Marketing Carol Stream, Ill. WINNER: Gill Studios Inc., Lenexa, Kan. Collateral Campaign ENTRY: 2012 Pre-Grammy Gala Booklet and Invite ENTRY: Leather Coaster CATEGORY: Website CATEGORY: Digital and Mobile Marketing CATEGORY: Innovation WINNER: ProDocumentSolutions, Paso Robles, Calif. WINNER: Gill Studios Inc., Lenexa, Kan. WINNER: MPX, Portland, Maine ENTRY: My Vote Information ENTRY: Planet Fitness ENTRY: Unum Custom Enrollment Portal
CATEGORY: Digital Printing CATEGORY: Labels & Tags Award of Excellence Winners WINNER: The Flesh Company, St. Louis, Mo. WINNER: Labels West Inc., Woodinville, Wash. Pages 94-97 ENTRY: Wiese Work Order Codes ENTRY: Patterson Cellars Wine Label Featuring 11 Additional Honorees in 11 Categories
42 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG
2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 AWARD FOR OVERALL EXCELLENCE TITLE Municipal Credit Union Onboarding Campaign CATEGORY Direct Mail WINNER Vanguard Direct, New York
44 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
Vanguard Direct won the PEAK Award for Overall Excellence for its entry “Municipal Credit Union Onboarding Campaign.”
The purpose of this campaign was to increase member retention by creating product awareness among new members within their first year of membership at the credit union. Focus groups suggested that members were not aware of Municipal Credit Union products. Vanguard Direct’s goal was to inform them of these products, get them “sticky” in the first year and increase member retention in the long run. The company’s overriding goal was to welcome the new member and make an emotional connection.
Municipal Credit Union saw a 42 percent increase in additional products purchased by new members as a result of the campaign. Significant increases in call center and web traffic were noted throughout the year. ROI was three times the cost of the program in the first year. In other words, annual program costs were paid for in four months.
The judges were impressed with how the pieces were all personalized. They also noted how extensive the campaign was. They thought the offer was very visible and that the data and ongoing marketing stood out.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 45 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE KinderCare - Read Share Give CATEGORY Affixed/Integrated Products WINNER The Flesh Company,St. Louis, Mo.
The Flesh Company was the Grand Award Winner in the Affixed/Integrated level of personalization to the young readers. The integrated label was variably Products category for its entry “KinderCare – Read Share Give.” numbered for tracking purposes. A portion of the sheet was perforated, which was used as a bookmark. The client wanted a campaign that would help encourage children to read more books and share them with others. It also wanted to be able to track the viral Within 10 months, the program was averaging more than 17,000 shares per effect so users could see how their participation was affecting the success of month with more than 15,000 books. The sharing took place across nearly the campaign. In the program, a book is selected by a child, and the label is 3,000 ZIP codes. The registration website provided a visual tracking system so removed from the document and placed in the book. The child goes to a special viewers could see the progress of the campaign. A new campaign is now being website and enters the tracking number. After reading the book, the child passes it to another child who reads the book, then performs the same online process, developed based on the success of this program. thereby providing a means of tracking the numbers of children who have read the book. Additional books are provided based on the growth of the campaign. The judges thought the campaign was conversational, simple, catchy and easy to understand. They were impressed with how it drives you online. They noted how The solution was to create a document utilizing an integrated label. The face of it was innovative and simple at the same time and said they hadn’t seen viral the document was printed in high color using a crayon type of effect to add a marketing on paper before.
46 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE LaserBand Blood Band CATEGORY Bar Coded Products WINNER RBO PrintLogistix, Maryland Heights, Mo.
RBO PrintLogistix was the Grand Award Winner in the Bar Coded Products Previously, there was only one point of patient-to-specimen match. With the new category for its entry “LaserBand Blood Band.” blood band, matching numbers and barcodes on the specimen label and blood band are quickly confirmed by a laboratory technologist once the specimen In early 2010, RBO PrintLogistix was asked to look at the current blood- is received in the blood bank. Beforehand, manually keying the label number banding process used at several SSM Health Care facilities. There was clearly into the system created the risk of a transcription error that could negatively a pressing need for a uniform blood band process at all SSM facilities, but, affect testing and transfusion. Now, the laboratory technologist scans the more importantly, there was a need to improve patient safely and automate the barcode on the label and verifies that the handwritten data on the label matches process as part of the transition from paper records to EHR. the barcode data. Lastly, small numbers on the blood band had previously Over a period of several months, RBO worked with John Koynes at St. Joseph compromised readability. With the new blood band, that is standardized across Hospital West to design and develop a one-step blood band that incorporated the all facilities, with a highly visible barcode and number on the blood band. blood band and additional specimen labels. The new blood band was preprinted with a unique alphanumeric barcode and number with a matching barcode printed In addition to the improved process, standardization and improved patient safety, on the specimen label. It was successfully piloted at St. Joseph Hospital West and the new blood band offered almost a 50 percent savings over some of the other then eventually rolled out to all entities with the exception of Cardinal Glennon. previously used blood bands.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 47 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Self Promo pURL Campaign CATEGORY Best Collaboration Between a Vendor and Distributor WINNER Cooley Group Inc. and Printco Inc., East Syracuse, N.Y.
Cooley Group and Printco were the Grand Award Winners in the Best There was a 45 percent response rate to the pURL and subsequent email blasts, Collaboration Between a Vendor & Distributor category for their entry “Self with nearly 200 customers attending the show. Cooley’s brand consultants and Promo pURL Campaign.” participating vendor sponsors were very pleased with the results.
Cooley Group’s Syracuse, N.Y., office had scheduled an end-user show for its As a direct result of the program, Cooley Group realized more than a 300 premier customers. To promote the show, they decided to showcase a pURL percent ROI. The program also provided a real education for its brand campaign for those customers and also serve as a learning experience for its brand consultants and their customers in how to best plan and execute a pURL consultants. Cooley Group partnered with Printco, which helped in the design and program. Ken Sperling of Printco also provided extensive training for the implementation of the entire project. They first sent a variable data mail piece that company’s brand consultants the day before the show and supplied support went out to approximately 750 customers. The direct mail piece incorporated a materials at the show for our customers. pURL, which, when visited, allowed customers to view a YouTube video of Cooley’s president inviting them to the show. The direct mail piece allowed them to RSVP The judges liked the comprehensive nature of the campaign and that it used and contained links to the participating vendor partner websites. This was followed multiple channels (email, direct mail, video, live event). They were impressed by three email blasts to those who had not yet responded and a reminder email with the strong partnership and response rate. on the day before the event to those who had that contained a link to a map of the location. All print, mail and email was done from Printco’s Omro, Wis., facility.
48 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 49 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Quoth the Raven CATEGORY Binders/Folders WINNER Admore, a division of Ennis Inc., Macomb, Mich.
Admore was the Grand Award Winner in the Binders/Folders category for its which consisted of the raven folder with a custom die-cut slit to hold the quill, a entry “Quoth the Raven.” scroll insert with an Admore version of the classic poem and the outside mail envelope. Matching themed T-shirts were also printed for all of the company’s Each year, Admore custom designs a different Halloween-themed folder staff. In addition, “Nevermore” coffee mugs were designed and filled with promotion. Each piece is designed to demonstrate the company’s technical custom printed M&Ms. These were sent out to any customer who joined in abilities — in this case, print on foil, sculpture embossing, tight registration, soft-touch coating and custom die cutting. Admore’s goal is to inspire creativity the fun and demonstrated a little Poe spirit. The promotion mailed to 9,000 and get customers excited about folders. customers and prospects with $102,500 in new sales generated.
“Quoth the Raven” is the company’s ninth Halloween promotion. Admore took The judges were delighted with this promotion. They thought it was creative and inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem “The Raven” for the promotion, paid incredible attention to detail. They also found it thematic and functional.
50 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Pricing Roll Back Labels CATEGORY Client Cost Savings WINNER The Flesh Company,St. Louis, Mo.
The Flesh Company was the Grand Award Winner in the Client Cost Savings The solutions presented involved using an inline imaging system. The labels category for its entry “Pricing Rollback Labels.” were produced using variable numbering with the retailers supplied pricing grid. The system generated pre-kitted packets of all the labels required in the correct A major retailer was planning a special sales program that would be in every sequence. This solution eliminated the possibility of missed labels or labels store location across the country on a specific weekend. Every store would roll out of sequence. The digital process also allowed the order to be produced in a back prices on a variety of products, and all the pricing had to match across the much shorter timeframe, allowing the retailer to make last-minute changes and country. In the past, the retailer had the pricing labels printed and then manually produce only the total label count required for the sale dates. sorted them into packets to be supplied to each store location. This not only required a huge time investment, but there was a margin of error where pricing The judges thought the concept behind the product was great. They were labels could be missed or incorrectly sorted. impressed with the efficiency component.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 51 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE St. Louis Up-Close Calendar CATEGORY Commercial Printing WINNER RBO PrintLogistix, Maryland Heights, Mo.
RBO PrintLogistix was the Grand Award Winner of the Commercial Printing The custom St. Louis photography did just that, as there are no St. Louis category for its entry “St. Louis Up-Close Calendar.” photographic calendars available for sale. Additionally, RBO wanted to be the first calendar given to customers, believing that enhanced likelihood of use, so RBO’s marketing focus is on cross-selling customers and prospects. Specifically, the company developed a 13-month calendar. the company wants its print customers to understand RBO is more than a printer; it can help them with research, strategy, creative, promotional products, As a result of this project, RBO earned more non-print opportunities than ever technology and fulfillment/distribution. To that end, RBO created a custom before and closed more than half of that business. Creative services sales have calendar to showcase its creative skills. The calendar features St. Louis increased by 23.4 percent, an increase of $48,045. Additionally, the calendar landscape photography, shot by the company’s staff photographer and designed directly led to the development of a new account with more than $23,000 by its art director. The calendar was printed oversized to make an impact, and in creative services fees and an additional $60,000 in print. The company’s it features rich black-and-white photography. The calendar also prominently promotional products business net revenue increased by 9.8 percent, a features the company’s new set of icons, further reinforcing its integrated $42,888 improvement. RBO spent $7,200 for 1,500 calendars and realized an offering. RBO’s goal was to earn precious wall space in client/prospect offices. immediate $83,000 win. It also saw record growth in creative services revenue.
52 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 53 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE RBO reThink Brochure CATEGORY Commercial Printing – 4C+ Multi- Component WINNER RBO PrintLogistix, Maryland Heights, Mo.
RBO PrintLogistix was the Grand Award Winner in the Commercial Printing – can manage a client’s entire marketing project from inspiration to destination. 4C+ Multi- Component category for its entry “RBO reThink Brochure.” RBO spent $2,700 on brochure production and realized $90,933 in incremental revenue, an ROI of 33.7 to 1. RBO designed its new corporate brochure as part of an overarching repositioning effort. The company’s focus is on communicating to current print customers The judges noted that the branding is noticeable throughout the piece and the that RBO is a full-service marketing services provider. The brochure (along with icons are well-distributed. They thought the placement of the insert cards was the new icons developed in tandem with the piece) made the case that RBO great, and the paper used was high-quality.
54 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Social Media Booklet CATEGORY Commercial Printing – Booklets WINNER Wright Business Graphics, Portland, Ore.
Wright Business Graphics was the Grand Award Winner in the Commercial Printing – Booklets category for its entry “Social Media Booklet.”
Wright Business Graphics offers a wide range of products and services, including continuous and unit set forms, complex custom commercial print products, advanced variable data printing and automated mail processing. The Social Media Booklet was printed on a six-color sheetfed Komori 628 with low curl and satin aqueous.
The judges thought the staggard piece stood out. They were also impressed with the design and quality of print.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 55 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Orange County Public Library Anniversary Book CATEGORY Commercial Printing – Books WINNER DocuMedia Group, Irvine, Calif.
DocuMedia Group was the Grand Award Winner in the Commercial Printing — When the company took the assignment, it was presented with several samples Books category for its entry “Orange County Public Library Anniversary Book.” of how Orange County Public Library (OCPL) wanted its book to look. Without a print-ready program or formal layout and with photos from 35 locations, the DocuMedia Group’s assignment was to develop a library-quality hardbound coffee table book with a jacket from hundreds of photos and historical notes company’s designer, John Morrison, worked with OCPL’s key people who provided gathered throughout the years from 35 library locations throughout Orange content. After five months and several revisions, the book was designed and County, Calif. The book was made in recognition of the library’s 90th anniversary. printed within OCPL’s fixed budget guidelines.
56 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE 2012 Pre-Grammy Gala Booklet and Invite CATEGORY Commercial Printing – Embellishment/Finishing WINNER Team Concept Printing & Thermography, Carol Stream, Ill.
Team Concept Printing & Thermography was the Grand Award Winner in the Commercial Printing – Embellishment/Finishing category for its entry “2012 Pre-Grammy Gala Booklet and Invite.”
The judges thought the simplicity of the piece stood out, and they liked the color. They noted that the invitation appeared glamourous, which resembled the event. Overall, they were impressed with the feel of the invitations.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 57 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Planet Fitness CATEGORY Digital and Mobile Marketing WINNER Gill Studios Inc., Lenexa, Kan.
Gill Studios was the Grand Award Winner in the Digital and Mobile Marketing kiss cut from a larger decal. There was a small hole punched in the corner to category for its entry “Planet Fitness.” allow it to be attached to the T-shirt customers receive with a membership. The decals could be placed on a locker or rear windshield. There were instructions For this campaign, Planet Fitness needed an inexpensive way to identify new on how to use the decals, as well as a QR Code that took the viewer to a movie members. The front side of this project had two rugged screenprinted decals that explained the difference between Planet Fitness and other gyms.
58 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Wiese Work Order Codes CATEGORY Digital Printing WINNER The Flesh Company,St. Louis, Mo.
The Flesh Company was the Grand Award Winner in the Digital Printing category coded tabs. Rounded corners would reduce damage to the booklet while making for its entry “Wiese Work Order Codes.” it easier to slide the booklet into a shirt or jacket pocket. The pages were run on heavy stock and UV-coated for durability, and then bound into a booklet using The previous process involved a four-part unit set that had to be hand completed wire-o binding, allowing the pages to be flipped quickly. The back of the book was in the field. The annual usage equaled $30,000 in cost to the client. The printed with a section to contain the technician’s contact information should the process was slow, and errors were possible due to the handwritten process. booklet be lost. High-color digital printing was selected due to the low quantity The client contacted Jim Ruggeri, CDC, Concentric Sourcing, requesting a new solution, as it was launching a new infield system using iPads. The client needed and the need for quick changes. a means to provide service codes for new equipment to the repair technicians in the field, as well as all the codes for older equipment. It also wanted to be able The client saw an immediate reduction in printing cost. The new solution was to update the codes frequently as new equipment was released. The solution easier and more accurate for use in the field. The overall process saved data required durability due to the harsh environment and chemicals, and it also entry time in the field, yielding a high level of customer satisfaction. needed to be pocket sized for ease of use. The judges thought the solution was innovative but also simple and user friendly The distributor suggested using a booklet listing all the codes required using a for the customer. They added that it was a great solution to a major issue. They color-coded system to expedite referencing. It also suggested the use of color- were impressed with the durability of the product.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 59 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Keurig Brew Over Ice POS CATEGORY Digital Printing – B2C WINNER Promo Print Solutions Inc., Oshkosh, Wis.
Promo Print Solutions was the Grand Award Winner in the Digital Printing – B2C category for its entry “Keurig Brew Over Ice POS.”
Digital printing was the best solution for Keurig’s regional test market promotion of its cold brewing products. The high-resolution digital is as clean as offset printing. It wanted multiple components printed on white or clear substrates to all look the same.
The judges thought it was convenient that the QR Code took you to a mobile site. They were impressed with the synergy of colors.
60 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE CAO Cigars Business Card CATEGORY Digital Printing – Short Run WINNER Bristol ID Technologies, Lima, N.Y.
Bristol ID Technologies was the Grand Award Winner in the Digital Printing – Short Run category for its entry “CAO Cigars Business Card.”
Bristol ID Technologies created a digitally printed layer embedded inside the card that produces a sultry feel, thereby maximizing the impact of the overall design. A careful placement of the graphics created an enticing visual image.
The judges thought the smoky quality of the translucent background stood out.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 61 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Burndy – Knock It Out of the Park Dimensional Mailer CATEGORY Digital Printing – VDP WINNER Clients First Inc., Westfield, N.J.
Clients First was the Grand Award Winner in the Digital Printing – VDP category keepsake to be displayed in the recipients’ offices. The shape and construction for its entry “Burndy – Knock It Out of the Park Dimensional Mailer.” of the box were carefully considered with unobtrusive corners and an internal magnetic closure. The production run had each salesperson’s first name printed Designed as a launch piece for a yearlong baseball sales campaign, this box as variable copy on the inside of the lid of the box above the line of copy. was a personalized way to introduce each salesperson to the goals for the year ahead and provide a hint of what’s planned without giving away upcoming The judges liked how the campaign incorporated variable data. promotions. The box featured a clean, sleek design and was intended to be a
62 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 63 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE SchoolReach Wedding Invitation CATEGORY Direct Mail WINNER RBO PrintLogistix, Maryland Heights, Mo.
RBO PrintLogistix was the Grand Award Winner in the Direct Mail category for actual wedding invitation stock and style. RBO’s goal was to drive software its entry “SchoolReach Wedding Invitation.” demonstrations. The company thought that an administrator who gets a lot of direct mail would be hard-pressed not to open a formal invitation. RBO wrote, RBO’s client, SchoolReach, offers voice and text-based parent notification designed and produced 425 invitations, and 158 recipients (37.2 percent) systems to schools. When SchoolReach formed a strategic partnership with responded to the offer. The client converted more than 35 percent of the PowerSchool (an enterprise management system for schools), SchoolReach respondents for an ROI well in excess of 25 to 1. looked to RBO for a quick, impactful and cost-effective way to announce the partnership to existing PowerSchool customers who did not also use The judges liked the old-school approach to selling software. They were SchoolReach. RBO developed a package based on a wedding invitation using impressed with the great response rate.
64 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Rhoads Energy – I Hate Gas Campaign CATEGORY Direct Mail – Lead or Acquisition WINNER Synapse Marketing Solutions, Lancaster, Pa.
Synapse Marketing Solutions was the Grand Award Winner in the Direct Mail – Building a high-value mailing list was key to the success of this campaign. The Lead or Acquisition category for its entry “Rhoads Energy – I Hate Gas Campaign.” package was eye-catching. The mailer, which took the form of a booklet, was printed to look like a diary and was mailed in a clear plastic envelope. There was Two of Synapse Marketing Solutions’ clients — a major HVAC company and a personalized savings certificate paper clipped to the booklet, which created a one of the largest providers of natural gas in the United States — teamed up bulge in the envelope. The piece was also big, measuring 11’’ by 6’’. to promote natural gas to oil heating customers in the region. Their goal was Each page was created to get the prospect to move to the next page, until they seemingly simple: get households that use heating oil to convert their systems got to the last page and found a personalized $1,000 savings certificate. The to natural gas heat. Synapse’s assignment was to create a direct mail campaign company instructed them clearly on what to do next: Call for a consultation. to introduce this promotion to a select group of prospects. The company’s client Nearly 20 percent of the prospects responded to the company’s mailer. Because was willing to offer $1,000 to help offset the cost of switching to natural gas. Synapse’s database included the prospects’ phone numbers, its client was able The kicker: A conversion could cost up to $9,000. Synapse was mailing before to create a script for its sales team to use to follow up with prospects after the the Christmas holiday and the heating season had been unusually warm so far. mailing reached their mailboxes. The ROI for the campaign was 984 percent.
A test mailing of 500 pieces yielded 47 in-person sales appointments and a dozen The judges liked how the campaign incorporated data. They thought the offer installation agreements. The client succeeded by targeting the right prospects. was clear and liked that the audience was specific.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 65 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE 60 Plus Campaign (InteliMailer) CATEGORY Direct Mail – Loyalty WINNER AccuLink, Greenville, N.C.
AccuLink was the Grand Award Winner in the Direct Mail – Loyalty category for processing for postage discounts, variable data mapping on a multipage its entry “60 Plus Campaign (InteliMailer).” format, personalized imaging and unique conversion into the AccuLink branded InteliMailer. This mailer included a uniquely designed self-sealed envelope/flier, Base Connect needed to manage an ongoing “drip” campaign economically along with a personalized letter with integrated membership card. The unique and effectively. AccuLink was selected to craft a solution to distribute important InteliMailer format AccuLink developed was not just a thank you; it included a thank-you messaging along with another donation request in a timely manner. mini-poster for Base Connect’s political campaigns, which gave it a great reason Since new donor data was collected daily, the solution required an easy way for to ask for a second donation. Base Connect to upload weekly data lists and communicate to those contacts in a personal, intriguing and effective manner. AccuLink programmers developed The judges noted the clear messaging and unique envelope and were impressed a secure link on the internet for Base Connect to upload data lists on demand. by how multiple pieces were packaged together. This dropbox fed data directly into an integrated workflow that included list
66 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 67 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Thanks for Penciling Me In CATEGORY Direct Mail – Self Promotion WINNER iPROMOTEu, Greenville, Wis.
iPROMOTEu was the Grand Award Winner in the Direct Mail – Self Promotion for how the program worked, methods of who and when to send the piece, as well its entry “Thanks for Penciling Me In.” as suggested scripts to use when reaching client or prospect. The piece was designed to also show the affiliates’ ability to design effective creative marketing The “Thanks for Penciling Me In” program had a multipronged approach. It was that could be measured. requested by the company’s affiliate network to create a marketing piece had low minimums, was inexpensive, had a strong call to action, was measurable Nearly 100 of the company’s affiliates have used the campaign and many have and personalized. The objective was to create a door opener to entice the reordered. Additionally, many of the recipients (clients and prospects) have not recipient to call or to accept the call. only inquired but have ordered this campaign for themselves. The company’s affiliates, on average, have seen a 72 percent appointment rate. It continues to The audience varied in as much as each affiliate either chose or was already be ordered after its initial launch in November 2010. working in a specific vertical or horizontal market. They were instructed to send only five pieces out at a time and to follow up with the client. A nine-page The judges noted how the campaign had a simplistic approach that worked. protocol document was emailed to the affiliates, giving them complete details on
68 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Ernst & Young – World Entrepreneur of the Year CATEGORY Envelopes WINNER Conformer Products Inc., Great Neck, N.Y.
Conformer Products, Inc. was the Grand Award Winner in the Envelopes has qualities that resist cracking when heavily used and supports a full bleed ink category for its entry “Ernst & Young – World Entrepreneur of the Year.” coverage of black ink. The envelope also is designed with an elaborate coverage of gold and silver foil stamping. The Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year Confererence caps off the most prestigious event for the worldwide CPA firm. This program has been In addition, the entire envelope uses a soft touch varnish to give the envelope conducted for many years, and the design and production for the program’s a textured luxurious finish. A velcro closure is used to keep the contained printed materials were of great importance to Ernst & Young. Most important material in place. The conference material inserts were designed to match the was the design of the program’s portfolio envelope. A great deal of literature was contained in the envelope; therefore, the envelope had to be flexible and easy to cover. Ernst & Young was extremely proud of the presentation program material carry for the four-day conference. presented to the more than 600 guests from around the world. The program material was a perfect complement to the event. Conformer Products, Inc., along with the design staff at Ernst & Young, created a patented Conformer Envelope that could hold almost one inch of conferencwe The judges noted how the piece doesn’t leave fingerprints. They thought it was a material. The envelope, which is 10” by 13”, used extreme coated cover, which very innovative, eye-catching envelope.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 69 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Green and Purple Grip Guides Envelopes CATEGORY Envelopes – High Impact WINNER Western States Envelope & Label, Butler, Wis.
Western States Envelope & Label was the Grand Award Winner in the products. The envelope was designed in partnership with the marketing and Envelopes — High Impact category for its entry “Green and Purple Grip Guides design team of the client. Recommendations were made regarding placement of Envelopes.” cuts, manufacturing process to be used and stock used.
The envelope was designed to market the Grip Guide in a retail setting. The The judges liked the interactive nature of the piece. They thought it was envelope needed to protect the product, highlight its key features and benefits, innovative and did a good job taking the client’s needs into consideration. and provide an opportunity for potential retail customers to interact with the
70 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Calvary Medication Charts CATEGORY Forms WINNER E-Bisprint Pty Ltd., Tuggerah, New South Wales, Australia
E-Bisprint Pty Ltd. was the Grand Award Winner in the Forms category for its There were strict guidelines that had to be followed in meeting the new federal entry “Calvary Medication Charts.” government standards, which included printing on multipart carbon paper sets. The difficulty with production was not having a printer in Australia that could Calvary Healthcare approached E-Bisprint to update and integrate what were complete the finishing as required. As a result, E-Bisprint sourced an offshore at the time two different medication charts into one. Medication charts are supplier in Thailand that could deliver the finished product. used to monitor patient medication by dosage and for documenting medication prescriptions for pharmacies. The production brief required changing Calvary E-Bisprint was able to create a medication chart to suit the Calvary Private Healthcare’s current documents by converting them from two separate two-page Hospital’s requirements. Calvary Healthcare saved money by combining the documents into a single six-page document with tearouts. two forms into one and making it a consistent and more generic document that E-Bisprint’s in-house art department produced the artwork according to could be used across the hospitals. The soft cost savings and efficiency gains of specifications, and its production coordinators managed the print production. using the new form have been considerable.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 71 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE University of Heidelberg Transcript CATEGORY Forms – Security Documents WINNER ProDocumentSolutions, Paso Robles, Calif.
ProDocumentSolutions was the Grand Award Winner in the Forms – Security rA custom die was created to stamp the company’s solely owned and protected Documents category for its entry “University of Heidelberg Transcript.” TamperSafe holographic foil. The die was unique to Heidelberg University and included a slightly embossed image of its logo within the die to create a fourth The University of Heidelberg wanted to find a manufacturer capable of handling dimension and tactile feel. the secure nature of transcripts used to issue grades to students. To reduce the potential for fraud, documents needed to be securely printed certificates with rThe document was serialized with ProDocumentSolutions’ patented features not available to the public market. Forms needed to be later printed on MetallicSafe process, which is an anti-copy number and chaos pattern the customer’s laser printer for issuing grades. underneath that causes the serial number to obscure and be unrecognizable when copied. The document was designed with the following points: rThermochromic ink was used to stamp and repeat the customer’s rThe design was originated around an A4 landscape document. name across the background. The university’s seal was also printed in thermochromatic and trapped into a reverse knockout of the base blue ink. rThe background utilizes the ProDocumentSolutions’ patented NaNOcopy background, which is made of micro-text and robustly shows the word “COPY” rInvisible UV ink, which excites to a blue color under a black light, was used to vertically and horizontally when copied. print the same university seal as in the middle thermochromatic. Two seals were registered and printed to the middle seal on the left and right side of it. rThe document was produced on oversize cylinders so that the background border bleeds off all four sides of the letter-sized sheet. This created an rThe document was printed on the company’s SafeImage true watermarked added layer of security, as standard color copy devices are not capable of paper. printing off all edges on a European A4 document.
72 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Sonography Kit CATEGORY Fulfillment Project WINNER Quality Resource Group Inc., Plymouth, Minn.
Quality Resource Group was the Grand Award Winner in the Fulfillment Project category for its entry “Sonography Kit.”
With this project, Quality Resource Group hoped to gain new members of this specialty field, increase awareness of the brand and continue to show the quality that its clients expect. This piece was a commercial printed flier/folder with two printed inserts and a custom made pin inserted inside. The high quality of the piece (concept, design, material choices and production) reflects ARRT’s brand image. It stands out as not your typical tri-fold and was meant to be an engaging keepsake to share with others.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 73 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Leather Coaster CATEGORY Green Solution WINNER Gill Studios Inc., Lenexa, Kan.
Gill Studios was the Grand Award Winner in the Green Solution category for its entry “Leather Coaster.”
An equipment company needed a tough, yet attractive coaster as a thank you to its clients and to hand out at trade shows. Gill Studios came up with a 100 percent post-industrial waste leather product from the Gill-line. The logo is branded into the coaster so it will never wear off. The soft full grain leather is eco-friendly, 100 percent domestic and fully absorbent.
The judges thought it was a unique, innovative product. They noted that users would continue to reuse this product and that the material used was [distinct].
74 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Unum Custom Enrollment Portal CATEGORY Innovation WINNER MPX, Portland, Maine
MPX was the Grand Award Winner in the Innovation category for its entry “Unum include an email test process where a few customer email addresses are sent Custom Enrollment Portal.” a test email that requires response and a simple survey to provide important information about image display and email delivery. The portal was completely Unum is a market leader in disability, group life, long-term care and voluntary custom built on a PHP platform with content management system (CMS) benefits. Unum’s enrollment team is responsible for the communications and capabilities to update content and some functionality. The client admin users services provided to existing customers during their open enrollment periods. can manage the Unum users, view reports on demand and edit certain content Through negotiated products available to each individual Unum customer (generally a company with many employees), these communications must be through the CMS. tailored to each customer individually based on their offerings, enrollment As a result of this project, Unum no longer spends any time creating email period, enrollment method and supporting product information. communications or landing pages in-house. It takes no more than five minutes Before the MPX solution, each communication was developed manually in-house to set up a new campaign versus several hours or even up to a week when by a team of graphic designers working with HTML emails and landing pages. the graphics team is backed up. The system is used often and has become MPX proposed a solution for an online portal where enrollment team members an integral part of the company’s sales pipeline in streamlining the enrollment could complete a simple form to automatically generate email communications sales process. to the customers’ employees, as well as customized landing pages. In response to their desires for the highest email deliverability, the portal was built to The judges noted that the campaign was well thought out.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 75 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Patterson Cellars Wine Label CATEGORY Labels & Tags WINNER Labels West Inc., Woodinville, Wash.
Labels West was the Grand Award Winner in the Labels & Tags category for its and type of wine. A coupon was also added to the tab good for one free tasting at entry “Patterson Cellars Wine Label.” the winery. Labels West also added hot foil and a unique textured pattern to the face of the material to enhance the label’s appearance. A unique 2-D barcode was The customer approached Labels West looking for a way to help consumers added as well. The consumer can scan the barcode and be directed to a website remember its brand of wine after they tasted it at a restaurant or a friend’s that contains information about the winery and the specific wine. home. The customer noted that oftentimes someone will try their wine and like it but not be able to remember the wine when it came time to purchase. The Since the new packaging was introduced, the sales of this particular wine have customer also wanted a unique look to its label to grab the consumer’s attention increased by 25 percent. The winery expects to complely sell out of this wine at the point of purchase. within a few months.
Labels West developed a special nonadhesive tab that is built into the regular The judges were impressed by this innovative and creative idea. They thought it label. The tab is designed to be removed from the bottle and placed in a purse or was a great solution for remembering wine, a great application of the label, and wallet. The consumer can then refer back to the tab later to remember the brand it addresses the needs of the average wine drinker.
76 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Peabody Jones Vodka Label CATEGORY Labels & Tags – Prime WINNER Labels West Inc., Woodinville, Wash.
Labels West was the Grand Award Winner in the Labels & Tags – Prime the liquid inside the bottle. Labels West used a special process where reverse category for its entry “Peabody Jones Vodka Label.” four-color printing is done on the clear adhesive material. That printing is then overlaminated with a slightly textured face stock that makes up the front side The customer approached Labels West with the idea of developing a special of the label. Special die cutting and spot varnishes complete the package. The bottle label for a new premium vodka they were introducing. The customer unique two-side printing makes the bottle stand out on the store shelf where it wanted the label to look like a postcard someone would send while traveling. sits side by side with competing products. They also wanted graphics on the back of the label that would be viewed through
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 77 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE SC Wild Turkey Tags CATEGORY Labels & Tags – Workflow WINNER The Flesh Company, St. Louis, Mo.
The Flesh Company was the Grand Award Winner in the Labels & Tags – unit set design. The forms are dispersed to various retailers throughout the Workflow category for its entry “SC Wild Turkey Tags.” state in booklet form. The retailers use a sheet of pencil carbon from the back of the book placed between parts one and two, providing image transfer when The state of South Carolina required a document that would maintain a record executing the document. Part two is removed and the tags are given to the of turkey hunting tags sold, as well as a means to manage the dispensing of five hunter. Part one remains in the book as part of the record-keeping process. tags per license. InfoProducts Corp. selected The Flesh Company to produce a custom unit set design that incorporated five Tyvek tags as part two of the The judges commented on the user-friendly nature of the campaign.
78 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Tissue Box CATEGORY Packaging WINNER AccuLink, Greenville, N.C.
AccuLink was the Grand Award Winner in the Packaging category for its entry unique design coupled with the 3dUV digital embossing clearly attracted “Tissue Box.” attention from viewers at the Dscoop trade show and opened conversations for the booth workers to better qualify their prospects. Thermotype, a manufacturer of specialized finishing equipment, recently crafted a small machine designed to allow small format printers to participate in the Comments by the sales staff manning the booth revealed that this was the best growing packaging market using digital imaging devices. AccuLink was selected product showing they ever experienced and that the unique design by AccuLink as a partner to help promote its new product line of machines both for creative design assistance, as well as a memorable printed product. and the memorable 3dUV enhancement were key ingredients to the show’s success. AccuLink’s design team designed a die fashioned after a tissue box; the team then designed a unique embossed image to promote its new 3dUV digital The judges thought the tissue box was great example of what the machine can embossing capability (using the new Scodix 1200 UV imaging system). The do, and the tone-on-tone technique really stood out.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 79 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE 2011 Little League World Series Credential CATEGORY Plastic Cards WINNER Bristol ID Technologies, Lima, N.Y.
Bristol ID Technologies was the Grand Award Winner in the Plastic Cards category for its entry “2011 Little League World Series Credential.”
Security was a great concern for the Little League World Series. The embedded translucent foil combined with a specialized surface stamping technique of Bristol ID Technologies’ credential created the strong visual security needed to ward off imposters. The oversized ID card became a cherished souvenir for participants, leaving a lasting impression of a memorable event.
The judges thought the finishing/embossing really stood out.
80 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Nordstrom Blades of Grass Gift Card CATEGORY Plastic Cards – Gift Cards WINNER Travel Tags Inc., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
Travel Tags Inc. was the Grand Award Winner in the Plastic Cards — Gift Cards target market. The company enlisted Travel Tags’ help to produce to the card category for its entry “Nordstrom Blades of Grass Gift Card.” at a high level of quality. The use of a “print right read print wrong read” with a foil attaching on the back allowed the card to pop and gave it a 3-D feel Nordstrom enlisted whimsical fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo to design a without having to be lenticular. The card has been a huge success with multiple card that exuded elegance to complement Nordstrom’s brand and reach its reorders; it is also being sold on various sites as a collectible.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 81 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE EWGA Member Mailing CATEGORY Plastic Cards – Mailer WINNER Ward/Kraft Inc., Fort Scott, Kan.
Ward/Kraft was the Grand Award Winner in the Plastic Cards – Mailer category for its entry “EWGA Member Mailing.”
The objective was to consolidate the membership mailing and incorporate a higher quality membership card, key tag and lanyard/golf bag badge.
82 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Bristol ID Business Card CATEGORY Plastic Cards – Self Promotion WINNER Bristol ID Technologies, Lima, N.Y.
Bristol ID Technologies was the Grand Award Winner in the Plastic Cards – Self-Promotion category for its entry “Bristol ID Business Card.”
Embedded foil, microprint, guilloche and surface foil stamping were key components showcased in this business card, which was packed with overt security options. It was a thin PVC card with writable matte finish on the back.
The judges were impressed with the security features in the business cards as a self-promotion.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 83 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE LIT Orientation CATEGORY Promotional Campaign – B2C WINNER Classic Forms & Products Inc., Beaumont, Texas
Classic Forms & Products Inc. was the Grand Award Winner in the students were very excited with the outcome. It was the most popular item LIT Promotional Campaign – B2C category for its entry “LIT Orientation.” has ever given out. As a result, the Lamar Institute of Technology is ordering the same items again this year. The Lamar Institute of Technology wanted something different to give out at orientation. Classic Forms & Products came up with the smashed T-shirt idea. The judges were impressed with how the company integrated a multipart piece The company also included a lanyard, pen and keytag in the package. The with the campaign.
84 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE iPROMOTEu Prospect Kit CATEGORY Promotional Campaign – Best Kit WINNER iPROMOTEu, Greenville, Wis.
The iPROMOTEu Prospect Kit was designed to provide an overview of the believes all three of these design objectives were met. Its business objective for company’s services to distributors interested in learning more about what creating this product was to cause more prospects to affiliate with iPROMOTEu. iPROMOTEu does and how it can help them. The kit included a custom box containing a pen, a spiral-bound booklet that detailed the benefits of affiliating Each of the three business development associates working for iPROMOTEu with iPROMOTEu (which is customized to each business development associate sent the kits to prospects after having a qualifying conversation over the phone. with variable data printing on the contact page) and a USB drive that is The number each month varies depending on the quality and quantity of the preloaded with testimonials (both in written and video form) and other videos leads for each associate. The metrics used to determine the success of the clips that tell iPROMOTEu’s story. The cover of the box features a message from prospect kits are based on the number of affiliations caused by receiving the iPROMOTEu, a testimonial from a current affiliate and a business card. prospect kit. The company had three goals when designing the prospect kit: 1) create a professional and creative product that serves as an example of the type of Because it is a new program, the company only has data from the first quarter marketing the company can help its affiliates create; 2) deliver information in of the year. In the first quarter, it achieved a 25 percent conversion rate. The easy-to-absorb pieces; and 3) provide a variety of formats so that prospects company sent out eight prospect kits to qualified prospects and, so far, two could learn more about the company in their preferred medium. The company prospects have affiliated as a result.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 85 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE RBO FanTools Lunch & Learn CATEGORY Promotional Campaign – Event Promotion WINNER RBO PrintLogistix, Maryland Heights, Mo.
RBP PrintLogistix was the Grand Award Winner in the Promotional Campaign — a product brochure. Forty-seven people attended the event — a 14.5 percent Event Promotion category for its entry “RBO FanTools Lunch & Learn.” response rate. While six locations are currently using FanTools, many more are evaluating this tool, so final metrics are not available. That said, RBO spent RBO introduced its new FanTools product (from Four51) to its customers via less than $1,500 on the production and has more than $50,000 in potential an educational event. The goal of the promotion was to drive attendance at a business under consideration. lunch-and-learn event. To generate interest, RBO created a postcard mailing and
86 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Rug Décor Hand-Knotted Rug Campaign CATEGORY Promotional Campaign – Multi-Media WINNER RBO PrintLogistix, Maryland Heights, Mo.
RBO PrintLogistix was the Grand Award Winner in the Promotional Campaign — an integrated promotion featuring in-store merchandising, magazine advertising, Multi-Media category for its entry “Rug Décor Hand-Knotted Rug Campaign.” radio and television. RBO wrote, designed and produced all of the campaign elements (electronic and print) and even placed the television and radio media Rug Décor is a chain of specialty rug stores, and RBO has enjoyed a long buys. Rug Décor enjoyed a record quarter during the duration of this promotion relationship with the client as a print supplier. In 2010, RBO was named the and saw sales increase by more than 30 percent over the previous year. creative agency for the client’s print work. In 2011, RBO was named the overall agency of record and began managing television and radio, too. The client The judges thought the campaign had great cross-promotion, and they were asked RBO to help introduce a new line of hand-knotted rugs. RBO developed impressed with the signage and multiple components.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 87 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Tecate Grand Prix Snap Mobile Pole Topper CATEGORY Promotional Campaign – Point of Purchase WINNER Promo Print Solutions Inc., Oshkosh, Wis.
Promo Print Solutions was the Grand Award Winner in the Promotional Campaign – Point of Purchase Category for its entry “Tecate Grand Prix Snap Mobile Pole Topper.”
Tecate wanted a moveable pole topper that would attract attention. The solution of using the patent-pending Snap Mobile provided three-sided viewing within a 3-D structure. The popouts added an attention-grabbing expanded 3-D effect. The pole topper moved via a battery-operated motor that lasts approximately 10 weeks. The display can be placed anywhere because it does not plug into the wall. The Snap Mobile ships flat and sets up easily and quickly.
88 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Healthy Workplace CATEGORY Promotional Campaign – Promotional Products WINNER Gill Studios Inc., Lenexa, Kan.
Gill Studios was the Grand Award Winner in the Promotional Campaign – biodegradable and recyclable paperboard, these paperboard coasters are Promotional Products category for its entry “Healthy Workplace.” popular in offices for both hot and cold beverages. The two-sided coasters have photos of humorous office situations on one side and catch phrases like “Wash, Kimberly Clark Professional wanted to help employers stem their lost time at Wipe and Sanitize” on the other. the office after a bug spreads around, while selling an innovative package of many of the company’s well-known products such as tissues, wipes and hand The judges thought the content was great. They enjoyed the graphics and witty sanitizer. Gill Studios’ distributor helped Kimberly Clark introduce the program messaging, and they were impressed with the company’s effective, fun product. with a shrink-wrapped set of four different funny coasters. Offset printed on
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 89 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE Build a Brouchure CATEGORY Promotional Campaign – Video WINNER Superior Business Solutions, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Superior Business Solutions was the Grand Award Winner in the Promotional Scope 1 technology builds on-demand electronic and print student recruitment Campaign – Video cateogry for its entry “Build a Brochure.” brochures using variable data driven by user input to individually customize and personalize brochure content for every potential student. When completed, The Scope 1 Build a Brochure video testimonial for higher education was prospective students receive an electronic version immediately with a follow-up, developed as an online and offline prospecting tool to reach student digitally printed direct mail version. The technology was pioneered by Superior recruitment professionals at universities, colleges and vocational institutions. Business Solutions – Scope 1 Marketing and has evolved over the past decade Superior Business Solutions’ objective was to reach more student recruitment as a highly relevant, effective student recruitment tool. Scope 1 has become professionals online and offline and generate leads for Scope 1 technologies. the University’s third highest resource for student recruitment and enrollment The video weaved a product demonstration with a customer testimonial into a generation. Check out the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjPv0u_DjWc. persuasive storyline, expanding the company’s Internet presence with an online sales prospecting tool that had been optimized for keywords to rank well in universal search results. The video was also used in email marketing campaigns and offline in face-to-face sales presentations.
90 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE FormStore EMPOWER Marketing Collateral Campaign CATEGORY Promotional Campaign – B2B WINNER FormStore Incorporated, Fenton, Mo.
FormStore Incorporated was the Grand Award Winner in the Promotional for each customer to this campaign mailer, and giving them a unique online Campaign – B2B category for its entry “FormStore EMPOWER Marketing destination, FormStore was able to convert more direct mail recipients into Collateral Campaign.” qualified prospects. The recipient arrives at their customized landing page, which is consistent with the design and tone of the direct mail package, including FormStore designed and manufactured new training and sales tools for its a personalized greeting and pre-populated fields that help drive immediate flagship products. These new collaterals included a comprehensive promotional response. The recipient can read more about the offer and instantly respond kit of the company’s core products and vertical market ideas. Several months were dedicated to ensure that these collaterals were designed to educate, to it and also request additional information by mail. Each recipient has a illustrate and communicate the wide range of solution options and vertical FormStore account manager assigned to his or her response and receives a market applications for membership ID card and integrated products. The sales follow-up call and complete set of the new sales kit. kit was created in order to help FormStore’s distributors empower themselves to dominate the market and build their sales. FormStore has received tremendous positive feedback on the initial phases of the EMPOWER Marketing Collateral Campaign with 12.8 percent site conversion This kit includes samples and spec sheets from FormStore’s family of affixed from the pURL campaign within a week of launching the campaign. and integrated membership ID cards and magnets. The marketing collateral campaign integrated the use of pURL (personalized URL technology) in the email The judges thought the product index stood out in the campaign. The judges blast campaign along with a direct mail piece. By adding a personalized URL also noted that the design aspect was very extensive.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 91 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 GRAND AWARD WINNER TITLE My Vote Information CATEGORY Website WINNER ProDocumentSolutions, Paso Robles, Calif.
ProDocumentSolutions was the Grand Award Winner in the Website category for Because the county is not 100 percent sure of the amount of sample ballot its entry “My Vote Information.” mailings needed until the election process is under way, they will customarily order 5-15 percent overage. The objective of the campaign was to offer counties attempting to reduce election costs a viable portal that allowed their voters a quick and simple way Since ProVoteSolutions, the election division of ProDocumentSolutions, already to receive their election information and opt out of receiving an expensive has all the election data supplied by the county within the site portal, it can now paper sample ballot by mail. By utilizing its own elections and IT development print and mail digitally printed sample ballot books on demand. This saves the expertise, this service allows counties that may not have the internal IT county from having to purchase extra books and provides an additional revenue knowledge, staffing or money to provide this service to their voting public. stream for ProDocumentSolutions to print and supply the election material on demand. The www.myvoteinfo.com site will more than offset the mailed paper Currently counties are responsible for making sure that every registered material costs with the option to download a PDF and opt out of receiving future voter receives a paper sample ballot and election information regardless of material. their intent to vote. The average cost to print and mail this information is approximately $1 dollar for each voter; this translates into millions of dollars combined across the United States in wasted documents and mailing expenses.
92 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG
2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 AWARD OF EXCELLENCE WINNERS
TITLE Coupon with Stickers CATEGORY Affixed/Integrated Products WINNER Taiyodo Printing Inc., Chiba-shi, Chiba-ken, Japan
TITLE Bradford Group Masters CD CATEGORY Best Collaboration Between a Vendor/Distributor WINNER Reign Print Solutions, Arlington Heights, Ill.
TITLE Folders with MORE Flash! CATEGORY Binders/Folders WINNER Admore, a div. of Ennis Inc., Macomb, Mich.
94 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 AWARD OF EXCELLENCE WINNERS
TITLE Flat-and-Fold Megaphone CATEGORY Digital Printing - B2C WINNER Relyco Sales Inc., Dover, N.H.
TITLE Roto-Rooter Work Order - Invoice CATEGORY Forms WINNER The Flesh Company,St. Louis, Mo.
TITLE Delaware Security Rx Forms CATEGORY Forms, Security Documents WINNER Printco Inc., Omro, Wis.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 95 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 AWARD OF EXCELLENCE WINNERS
TITLE Togwotee Mountain Lodge Door/ Towel Rack Hangtags CATEGORY Green Solution WINNER Bristol ID Technologies, Lima, N.Y.
TITLE Downeast Energy Statements CATEGORY Innovation WINNER MPX, Portland, Maine
TITLE Maravilla Cigar Labels CATEGORY Labels & Tags, Prime WINNER Western States Envelope & Label, Butler, Wis.
96 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG 2012 PEAK AWARDS
2012 AWARD OF EXCELLENCE WINNERS
TITLE Oil Change Tire Rotation Decals CATEGORY Labels & Tags, Workflow WINNER Gill Studios Inc., Lenexa, Kan.
TITLE Roberto Capucci CATEGORY Packaging WINNER Commonwealth Packaging Company, Harrisburg, Pa.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 97 CASE STUDY
The Evolution of High-Speed Inkjet With its recent purchase of an HP T200 Inkjet Web and a Hunkler automated bindery line, Missouri-based Mail Print succeeds in using high-speed inkjet to deliver integrated, multichannel solutions for clients. BY HEIDI TOLLIVER-WALKER
When we think about the new generation of high-speed inkjet presses, we tend to think about high-volume books and direct mail. But for Kansas City, Mo.-based Mail Print, it is all about variable data.
n January 2012, Mail Print Sometimes Mail Print’s programs have built around 1,200 of fields of data and purchased an HP T200 Inkjet Web literally hundreds of variables and drawing on about 4,000 assets.” and a Hunkler automated bindery thousands of assets. “For us, a large Orders come in through underwriting, line. Ninety percent of the projects run has generally been around 80,000 and jobs received by 3 p.m. are Ithat come off the press involve some form pieces, but we have daily, weekly and printed and shipped that day. “We are of variable data, largely for clients in the monthly programs where we produce actually plugged into the client’s ERP gaming and entertainment industries, as one piece at a time, as well as anything in system,” Danner said. “When the client well as retail, insurance and others. between,” Danner said. “For example, we underwrites a policy, as soon as that Mail Print, owned and operated by do a program for an insurance company policy is approved, we receive the data siblings Eric Danner and Gina Danner, that is anywhere from eight to 48 pages and start printing. The order could be employs about 60 staff members and one book or 500 books. Everything runs four HP Indigos, three two-color is automated. No one has to touch offset presses and two six- and five-color HP T200 Inkjet anything until the job shows up at the presses. “Plus all the binding and mailing press. This is truly full-color, 100 percent equipment you can imagine,” said Gina Web Specs personalization on demand.” Danner, chief executive officer of Mail t Up to 22-inch (55.8 cm) Print. (Eric Danner is the company’s web width Planning for Expansion president.) “Our clients are concerned t Up to 20.5-inch (52.1 cm) For Mail Print, the purchase of the HP T200 about confidentiality, so nothing goes out print width was part of a planned expansion. “Every 18 of the shop.” t Up to 200 ft (61 m) per to 24 months, we do a round of investments,” minute print speed in color Danner said. “Our belief system is, if you On the surface, high-speed inkjet might aren’t growing, you’re dying.” not seem to be a fit for Mail Print, as t Up to 400 ft (122 m) per it has historically been a small-format minute print speed in color The decision to select HP as the with optional upgrade printing and direct mail house. But the company’s high-speed inkjet vendor came company has been producing highly t Up to 400 ft (122 m) per out of the two companies’ long history complex variable data projects for 18 minute print speed in mono together. Mail Print adopted its first years, and with the volumes it has already t 1200 nozzles per inch native Indigo presses in 1998, so the move to been producing, the company has resolution the T200 was a natural one. “We looked nowhere to go but up. at other equipment, but our relationship
“ Our research shows that the most expensive business process today is the acquisition or execution of a marketing touch, whether email or print. We apply business process optimization around the marketing world and drive that cost down. It’s all about efficiency.” Gina Danner, Chief Executive Officer, Mail Print
98 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG with HP has been so strong. The financial stability of the organization was a key factor,” Danner said.
That relationship was so strong, in fact, that Mail Print was willing to brave early-adopter status even as some of the workflow’s bugs and kinks were still being ironed out. “To be on the leading edge, you have to be flexible and understand that sometimes we’re still creating the solutions,” Danner said. She notes that, since installation, HP’s technicians have been working alongside the shop’s press operators. “The papers aren’t perfected, and our bindery configuration was only fully installed in March. You have to have a certain amount of flexibility and patience as you work through everything.”
Adjustment to the press has also affected not image quality (which is very high at 1200 nozzles per inch), but the appearance of the final image. While many designers are unable to distinguish from Mail Print’s toner-based digital presses, Danner is able to tell a very subtle difference. “Instead of laying down a traditional line screen rosette, the press sprays 1200-by-600 nozzles,” she said. “So you don’t really see a dot. You see a spray pattern. I notice it because I’ve been doing this so long, but most designers don’t notice it. I have very high-end clients who are very happy with it.”
The presses have the additional benefit of having an in-line pre-treatment system that allows Mail Print to use any standard offset uncoated paper. “You can take the same paper running in the offset pressroom and put it into the T200 and it will run,” Danner said. “Pre-treatment acts just as if you were printing a fifth color. One color station lays down the clear image, which is the bonding image, then the color is laid down.”
Why Leap? Why Now? So what made Mail Print take the leap now? The “time value” of money, Danner says, along with the speed of production.
Mail Print runs a monthly program that In January 2012, Mail Print purchased an HP T200 Inkjet Web and a Hunkler automated bindery otherwise would take about 80 labor line. The decision to select HP as the company’s high-speed inkjet vendor came out of the two hours to produce. But on the T200 and companies’ long history together. the Hunkler bindery line, it takes only
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 99 CASE STUDY
or execution of a marketing touch, whether email or print,” she said. “We apply business process optimization around the marketing world and drive that cost down. It’s all about efficiency.”
This starts by taking people out of executing the marketing process — plugging into TerraData, PeopleSoft, Exact Target, Salesforce.com or Sugar CRM — so the direct marketing touches happen automatically. “Automation is not just what happens when the job hits our Mail Print employs about 60 staff members and runs four HP Indigos, three two-color offset presses plant. It’s what hits in the client’s world,” and two six- and five-color presses. she said. For example, Mail Print runs a program 15 hours. “It is a multipage personalized The T200 press has been installed since for a company that supplies home heating book with both static and variable mid-January, and Danner describes oil. Based on past usage and using a content,” Danner said. “With the T200, HP’s support team for the installation complex algorithm, the system generates we can produce it in a single pass through as “phenomenal.” “They were here for a postcard when the tank needs to be the press, with another pass through the quite some time working with the team refilled. There is no human interaction. bindery line. It’s so much more efficient.” and dialing in the press. We have access to great resources through them. We are “There is a script that runs every night, The project — 16 pages with 80# text drops a file to our system and we print confident with where we are,” she said. weight paper and interior perforations — and mail the next day,” Danner said. runs in four eight-page forms and is 100 “There may be one postcard; there may percent customized. Using the traditional The Power of Investment be 300. With their IT department and our workflow, the job would require six or Mail Print must have great confidence, help, every week they eliminate hours of seven different production processes. considering the press is added capacity wasted time.” With the HP T200, it can be completed in a tight economic environment. But in a single pass on the press and a single the company believes in the power of It’s All About the Data investment. pass on the bindery line — print, bind, Ultimately, Danner concludes, Mail auto perf and done. “We see it more as an R&D move than Print’s success with high-speed The press’ 20.5” width also opens anything else,” Danner said. “But there inkjet is all about the data. “We are opportunities for new applications. is growing economic opportunity, too, creating integrated solutions that are Previously, Mail Print could not run particularly among clients doing longer multichannel,” she said. “If someone does the 8 ½” x 14” format efficiently with its runs of 80,000 to 250,000 shells and not have his head wrapped around the configuration. “Today we can do 8 ½” x black imprints. Thanks to the T200, need for data, the last thing he wants to 14” with ease and create more interesting they are starting to consider full color, do is buy one of these presses. You make configurations for our clients,” Danner said. full variable. Already several clients are this sale to the CMO and the C-suite and testing applications.” work in lockstep with your client. You Complex jobs require specific skill sets pull resources from marketing, finance that are unusual for the industry. The Danner adds that the direct marketer’s and IT, and sales has to be engaged. Jobs press is fed by HP’s SmartStream Ultra dream is now really possible for those are often triggered from the invoicing or Print Server, and many of Mail Print’s longer runs. “We have many clients who order system.” workflow adaptations are proprietary are doing shells and imprints, and when In other words, you must be prepared to and highly nonstandard. “We write a they take into consideration the inventory take the data and use it to create a new lot of our own code,” Danner said. “We waste and the lead time that workflow marketing platform. “Are you prepared to consistently take various packaged requires, they are getting extremely be the one to build the Rosetta Stone?” PS software and reconfigure it. We have excited,” she said. “Add in the automation to have multiple servers with multiple workflows and value that we deliver and processors and allocate power across all the switch becomes easy for them.” the web-to-print, automation system and Heidi Tolliver-Walker has been a commercial and digital printing industry RIPs to press. All the moving parts are There is a particular opportunity, Danner analyst, feature writer, columnist, editor managed so we’re in compliance with explains, in acquisition marketing. “Our and author for nearly 20 years. She is a licensing agreements, but can also get the research shows that the most expensive frequent contributor to Print Solutions. jobs out the door.” business process today is the acquisition
100 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG
INDUSTRY NEWS COMPILED BY ALEXA SCHLOSSER
Bradford & Bigelow The HP Indigo One Shot Color printing News Streamlines Operations mode (available in July) on the HP Indigo by Adding New EFI 5600 Digital Press is uniquely designed AccuSource Solutions Monarch Capabilities to print specialty applications on a wide variety of synthetics, including PVC, PET, Inc. Joins the Safeguard EFI, a leader in customer-focused Teslin and PC. Network digital printing innovation, recently Safeguard Franchise Systems Inc., a announced that customer and PSDA member Bradford & Bigelow has added Relyco Announces Opening PSDA member, recently closed its latest of Texas Sales Office conversion transaction with Carrollton, the EFI Monarch Planner and latest EFI Texas-based AccuSource Solutions Inc. PrintFlow modules to its existing EFI and Plans for Regional The conversion of AccuSource is the Monarch workflow to bring even more Distribution Warehouse largest conversion transaction completed streamlined production and greater Relyco, a PSDA member provider of value- by Safeguard in 2012 in terms of annual cost savings. Based in Newburyport, added business printing and payment revenue. It is the second-largest in Mass., Bradford & Bigelow is a supply solutions, recently opened a Dallas-area Safeguard’s 55-year history. “We’re chain solution provider in the book sales office and hired Shannon Greer as extremely excited to have an organization manufacturing industry. Southwest regional sales manager to run like AccuSource join the Safeguard the office. The company also announced its “We have been a very satisfied EFI family,” said R. Scott Sutton, CFE, vice plan for a regional distribution warehouse president of franchise development for Monarch and Auto-Count user, and now in Texas to better serve its customers in Safeguard. “AccuSource has been a leader the timing is right to add the Planner the Western United States. “We’ve been in its market for over 30 years and will capabilities to our workflow,” said planning to expand our operation in Texas bring to Safeguard an amazing amount Peter Doyle, executive vice president for some time now, and the timing was of talent, experience, drive and success.” at Bradford & Bigelow. “We view EFI’s right with the hiring of Shannon,” said Planner module as a critical application Michael Steinberg, president of Relyco. AccuSource brings four facilities — that allows us to integrate the RFQ, “This allows us to focus on the growth located in Dallas and Lubbock, Texas; estimating, job planning, scheduling, pre- of our business printing and payment Denver; and Birmingham, Ala.— to press, shipping and invoicing tasks into solutions in the Southwest region. And, Safeguard. It becomes Safeguard’s one seamless process. with our plans to open a new Texas-based largest distributor in the state of Texas distribution warehouse, we’ll be able to and in the entire Midwest. “AccuSource Victor Printing Installs HP service our Western customers more and Safeguard are well-aligned in focus, Indigo 5600 Digital Press efficiently and cost-effectively.” strategy and culture,” said J.J. Sorrenti, president of Safeguard. “They are The installation of the HP Indigo 5600 Greer joins Relyco with more than 12 both focused on providing the leading Digital Press marks another landmark years of experience selling commodity services and products to a multitude in the development of Victor Printing. paper, unique substrates, custom of customers, many of which operate The PSDA member company provides solutions, and value added products within the community banking segment.” comprehensive services that include to corporate business, commercial business forms, prepress and proofing, printers, in-plant operations, graphic sign and display printing, commercial Printco Expands with communications shops, and federal, state, printing, print management with and local government departments. She Purchase of Xerox Nuvera web-to-print facilities, variable data, will be responsible for sales and business Printco Inc., a PSDA member, recently mailing services and in-house finishing. development for Relyco’s comprehensive purchased and installed the Xerox Nuvera Throughout the years, Victor Printing line of business printing and payment 120EA Production System to better serve its has always maintained its commitment to solutions across the Southwest region. customers and meet growing demands. “We providing its customers with specialized Prior to Relyco, Greer was a supply chose Xerox because of its reputation to and high-quality printing solutions. and applications manager for Xerox produce machines with speed and quality,” Corporation focused on Texas, Oklahoma said Printco CEO Ken Sperling. The “With our new press, the setup stage and Arkansas markets. Xerox Nuvera 120EA Digital Production is much faster, which allows us to System delivers offset-quality images, along print smaller quantities with very high The Flesh Company with the highest resolution of any digital quality and faster production times. monochrome system on the market: 1200 Our customers will be very impressed Releases White Paper, dpi and 156 lpi. The Xerox Nuvera uses with our new print capabilities,” said Bill Installs New Equipment, advanced technology to provide a smooth, Richards, partner of Victor Printing. The Announces Contest Winner consistent offset matte finish, finer lines, new HP Indigo 5600 Digital Press, with PSDA member The Flesh Company sharper text and halftones, as well as deeper its versatility and ability, can easily switch recently released a new white paper for solid blacks than traditional toner. between jobs and varied media types. distributors discussing risk analysis as
102 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG INDUSTRY NEWS
it applies to document security printing The Flesh Company also recently market. The Flesh Company also added and applications. The paper provides a LQVWDOOHGDQHZLPDJLQJYHUL¿FDWLRQ a new re-winder system that enables it to “best practices” approach to the process system at its plant in Parsons, Kan. SURGXFHODUJHUROOVFRPLQJRIIVSHFL¿F of performing a risk analysis for a client. “This equipment will allow us to catch HTXLSPHQWWRSURYLGHPRUHÀH[LELOLW\DQG Check fraud, identity theft and brand duplicate numbers, mismatched barcodes improve cycle time. fraud are just a few of the areas where and failed reads,” said Randy Lewis, criminals copy, alter or counterfeit general manager. The Parsons facility documents. A copy of the IndustryNews produces a large variety of barcoded and white paper can be downloaded at sequentially numbered documents such www.fleshco.com/whitepapers. as chain of custody forms for the medical
In other news, The Flesh Company recently announced that Bill Allison of Envelope Solutions (pictured above) had won the company’s iPad contest. To be entered in the contest, distributors had to submit a quote for an order value of $1,500 or higher. For more information on The Flesh Company’s second iPad contest, visit the FRPSDQ\¶VZHEVLWHZZZÀHVKFRFRP
Calibrated Announces Winner of 3D TV Giveaway Campaign
PSDA member Calibrated, a division of Ennis Inc., recently announced Mike
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 103 INDUSTRY NEWS
Bates at Donis Corporation (pictured, its customer base with more than 650 printing solutions by converting their previous page) as the winner of its 3D new customers. With the introduction existing offset presses to nanography.” TV Giveaway Campaign. Calibrated, a of the Paymode-X ePayment Network, manufacturer of medium to long run a partnership with Ricoh Canada and Duplo USA Launches traditional and integrated forms, entered the hiring of a new vice president of Redesigned Website participants into a drawing promoting ePayment solutions, Relyco continued Duplo USA recently launched its its stock and custom envelopes and unit to experience significant growth while redesigned website, www.duplousa.com, sets. Calibrated was established in 1985 establishing itself as an industry leader in which provides richer content and and acquired by Ennis, Inc. in 2002. The business printing and payment solutions. additional resources for commercial and company creates high-quality integrated in-plant printers as well as other cards and labels, and the Enfusion® In Q1 2012, Relyco significantly increased organizations searching for print product line integrates multiple functions its customer base and expanded existing into one printed form. business across all vertical markets finishing solutions. The upgraded website for its entire line of products. Notable also features an enhanced interface that new customers included Amtrak, allows offset and digital print providers to Bristol ID Technologies Discovery Cove Orlando, Hershey browse the complete line of finishing Wins Award from Entertainment and Resorts, Kraft Foods equipment that includes bookletmaking International Card Inc., Pac-12 Conference and many and saddle stitching systems, slitter/ Manufacturers Association federal government agencies. “I’d like to cutter/creasers, perfect binders, UV PSDA member Bristol ID Technologies congratulate the entire Relyco team on coaters, folders and digital duplicators. recently was recognized by the prestigious a great first quarter, as everyone stepped International Card Manufacturers up to contribute to our successful start EFI Adds Remote Data Association’s Élan Awards as winner to 2012,” said Mike Steinberg, president Protection to Offerings in the Access Control and ID Badge of Relyco. “One of the most exciting developments in the first quarter was Marking its 12th year of delivering cloud- category. Bristol ID won this esteemed based solutions, with more than 2,500 industry award for its Little League 2011 the launch of our Paymode-X ePayment Network. Many of our customers are customers utilizing the company’s on- World Series ID Badge entry. Security demand managed services, EFI recently was a great concern for the Little League now investigating how to streamline their accounts payable operations by launched an additional cloud service World Series, and by utilizing embedded offering: off-site data protection services translucent foil and a specialized surface transitioning from paper-based check payments to more efficient ePayment utilizing its own state-of-the-art data stamping technique, strong visual center in North America and additional security was obtained. This oversized ID solutions.” sites in Europe. Available now, EFI is credential became a cherished souvenir offering new online backup, storage and for participants, leaving a lasting Manroland Sheetfed data recovery options for print MIS and impression of a memorable event. and Landa Partner for web-to-print customers that wish to host Mainstream Digital Printing “Receiving this esteemed honor from their own solutions, to ensure protection, ICMA is a testament to our commitment Solutions redundancy and speedy recovery in case to producing exceptional products,” Manroland sheetfed GmbH of Offenbach, of disaster. Operations are monitored said Diane Morsch, director of sales and Germany, and Landa Corporation of continuously and customers are notified marketing at Bristol ID. “We are pleased Rehovot, Israel, recently announced a immediately of conditions that could to have our work acknowledged for strategic partnership whereby Landa impact service. its excellence in quality and design by will provide manroland sheetfed with its the premier awarding body in the card groundbreaking Nanographic Printing manufacturing industry. The outstanding technology. Raphael Penuela, executive work we deliver has led our customers to vice president and main board member People rely on Bristol ID as their manufacturer for manroland sheetfed, said: “Manroland of choice.” sheetfed is committed to helping our customers meet the challenges of Gill-Line Hires New Company today’s printing industry with the most Field Sales Managers Relyco Increases Customer innovative and productive solutions. PSDA member Gill has announced the Base, Expands Across All Clearly, that must include digital for next extension of the Gill-Line sales Vertical Markets in 2012 mainstream printing. Landa Nanographic WHDPWKH¿HOGVDOHVPDQDJHUV*LOO PSDA member Relyco, a provider of Printing technology offers the versatility 3UHVLGHQWDQG&(23DXO/DJHVDLG³7KH value-added business printing and of digital printing together with the QHZ¿HOGVDOHVPDQDJHUVZLOOEHZRUNLQJ payment solutions, recently announced qualities and speed of offset printing. DORQJVLGHRXUHVWDEOLVKHGUHJLRQDO the completion of a successful 2012 first It’s a great strategic fit. Our goal will be sales teams, which will now have three quarter, during which the company grew to deliver to our customers new digital PHPEHUVSHUWHDP7KH¿HOGVDOHV
104 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG INDUSTRY NEWS
managers will be calling on a set territory Gene Guire (left) joins MPX Hires Two Employees ZLWKLQWKH¿YHHVWDEOLVKHGUHJLRQV´ Gill as its Greater as Part of an Expansion in Florida Territory Field Joe Gavern (left) joins Digital Services Sales Manager. He Gill as its Greater PSDA member MPX, a provider of Southern California comes to Gill Studios custom business solutions and print Territory Field Sales with a strong expertise services, recently expanded its team Manager. With more and knowledge of dedicated to serving clients and than 20 years of sales territory sales developing solutions. Heather Falb was experience, Gavern throughout the southeast region. hired as program manager, and Sinisa brings a wealth of Topalovic was hired as application Jennifer Sedran (left) knowledge to the Los Angeles market and developer. Both come from organizations this newly created position. joins Gill as its familiar with MPX programs and their Greater New York/ unique structure. In her role as program Jaime Becker (left) New Jersey Territory joins Gill as its Greater manager, Falb will be overseeing the Field Sales Manager. Chicago Territory front-to-back management of several Jennifer brings with Field Sales Manager. client mailing and fulfillment programs. her more than 16 Becker has a strong In his role as application developer, years of progressive administrative, sales Topalovic will be joining a team of experience in consultative sales and and recruitment internal programmers dedicated background. She has a business development. Jennifer’s high to developing and maintaining the constant desire to learn and the philosophy energy and passion for sales will be a applications and systems in place to that sales is a lifetime learning process. welcome addition to the Gill-line team. process and manage these programs.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 105 INDUSTRY NEWS
Wright Enterprises Expands “We are excited to have Jeff joining our the high level of integrity exhibited by Management Team senior management team as we continue senior management, which includes a PSDA member to transform the legacy business from focus on the company’s most important Wright Enterprises its traditional printing roots. We are assets: its people. I believe my extensive Holding Co. (parent committed to realigning and expanding experience and industry knowledge company of Wright our product and service offerings to better aligns well with the needs of the company Business Graphics serve our customers,” said Dan Adkison, and its strategic plans for the future.” and Wright Imaging) president and COO. “Jeff is a 35-year recently introduced veteran of the printing and graphics arts Hayes Named VP of Client Jeff Trump as vice industry and brings to this position diverse Services at Innovative president/general manager of the and complementary operations, supply Print & Media Group company’s Chino, Calif., facility. Most chain management, business building and recently, Trump was the vice president of customer relations skills.” Suzanne Hayes recently joined PSDA operations for Cenveo and managed member Innovative Print & Media Group multiple, highly diverse manufacturing “The decision to join Wright Business in the new position of vice president of facilities, including PrintXcel, Printegra, Graphics was an easy one for me,” said client services. Based in Phoenixville, Nashua Label and RX Technologies. Trump (pictured). “I was impressed with Pa., Innovative is considered one of the
The following are only samples of the many exclusive articles available to PSDA members through the association’s partnership with Information Inc. To read more, visit PSDA’s website, www.psda.org, and select “Print Solutions Industry Insights E-Newsletter” from the Publications drop-down menu.
In this new section, Print Solutions takes a deeper look at developments throughout the print industry. These exclusive analyses, authored by expert writers at PSDA partner Information Inc., are featured in each edition of the Print Solutions e-Newsletter, which is emailed to PSDA members on the first and third Thursdays of each month.
Ink Prices Stay Fluid 2013: The Year of Managed Print MyPrintResource (04/30/2012) Hall, Bob Services (Really; Here’s Why) Ink prices have increased in recent years largely due to the MSPmentor.net (05/07/12) Panettieri, Joe rising cost of raw materials, such as gum rosin, copper, benzene, MSPmentor’s Joe Panettieri said that 2013 will be the year that titanium dioxide, mineral oils, carbon black, napthenic oils, soy, managed print services (MPS) will find mainstream acceptance by carbazole violet, phthalo greens and blues. According to the Flint managed services providers (MSPs), according to five emerging Group, raw materials cost 15 percent more in 2011 than they did trends. He said the conversation about MPS is now spilling into in 2008 and likely will continue to climb, but the most volatile MSP-focused meetings hosted by software companies. Most “raw material” component affecting prices is crude oil. A barrel demos show remote monitoring and management (RMM) software that went for $34.57 back January 2009 now costs $103, and the platforms currently handling a wide spectrum of printers from all International Monetary Fund predicts that the price could increase of the major printer makers. 30 percent this year as a result of oil sanctions on Iran. Industry experts said printers should focus more on quality and service Panettieri also observed that the past several months have rather than making ink purchases based on price. witnessed the integration of the managed print dashboard with RMM and professional services automation software and dashboards. Jeff Koppelman, president of Gans Ink & Supply, does not believe Another key driver for MPS is the fact that endpoint devices such as the rising cost of ink will force printers to pass the cost on to multifunction printers are expected to never go obsolete. Panettieri customers. A move toward digital printing is unlikely to provide also reported that startups, with no specific printer preference, much relief, but printers who reinvent themselves as print service are starting to assist MSPs with MPS. He cited the example of providers will be less affected by ink prices. “They offer a larger DocuWise, which makes the proprietary managed Print Environment portfolio of services, such as digital, printing fulfillment, marketing System Organization print platform. DocuWise said it integrates with assistance, web-to-print, web hosting, etc., while placing a greater most of the major help desk and accounting systems. emphasis on high-value-added print capability, upscale print or special effects,” said John Copeland, president and COO of Toyo “I’m aware of at least one major MSP with managed print services Ink America. “Those that succeed in making this transition tend to expertise that will soon be acquired,” Panettieri said. “I believe 15 be better off than average.” percent of the MSP’s revenues come from managed print services,
106 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG INDUSTRY NEWS
top printing and marketing services Elsevier. Hayes was chosen from more the most experienced and seasoned companies in the Mid-Atlantic and than 100 candidates who applied for CEO we could dream of for the role, has Northeast regions of the country. “The the position. “Suzanne is a high energy become a personal friend of mine,” said key differentiator in the marketing person and has a personality that will former CEO Philippe Varnier. Bernstein, communications space has always been make her a great fit in our culture,” who plans to remain in the Netherlands service and delivery,” Innovative President Whitman said. “She will be an excellent before returning to Pittsburgh, points to Rob Whitman said. “Suzanne will bring addition to the leadership team.” the following as his goals for moving the our service team to a new level and allow company forward: “Polyconcept, under us to compete even more successfully in Bernstein Appointed CEO Philippe’s leadership, is a recognized the new and emerging economy.” of Polyconcept leader and innovator in the promotional Hayes has extensive experience in the Netherlands-based promotional industry products industry. I will seek to continue printing and publishing industries, leader Polyconcept recently announced to grow and evolve the company in joining Innovative after serving as vice the appointment of Michael Bernstein the years ahead. I’m extremely proud president of operations for Excerpta as its new chairman and CEO. “I’m to be trusted with the stewardship of a Medica, a global health care marketing extremely pleased to hand over my company with such legacy and thank agency and a division of publishing giant position to Michael who, besides being Philippe for his ongoing support.”
but that 15 percent is the most valuable revenue stream, the Obama administration wants to improve record management by according to the potential buyer.” By late 2011, 30 percent of moving to electronic records. “We call on them at the federal, state MSPs completing the annual MSPmentor 100 survey reported and local level, and use this as an entree to talk about electronic offering MPS, and Panettieri projected that “that figure will jump records,” said Bob Honn, director of marketing services for the sharply again when we launch the sixth annual MSPmentor 100 Wide-format Printing Systems Division of Oce. survey in October 2012. And then, perhaps 2013 will finally be the year of managed print services.” Web Marketing: Unleashing the Documented Advantages of Power of Data Wide-Format Scanners MyPrintResource (05/01/2012) Starr, Tawnya Data is nothing more than information, and analytics is a fancy way Wide-Format Imaging (04/12) Vol. 20 of saying a print provider needs to examine its website and take a Wide-format scanners could be a source of untapped revenue look at how it is performing. Website analytics can reveal whether a and profit for print service providers. Architects, engineers, website is providing answers, solutions and is bringing in business, GIS professionals and private mapping companies need to or is driving potential clients to the next printing solutions company. scan large numbers of hand-drawn maps to be electronically The basics of website analytics, which include the total number accessed; companies with lots of paper documents need to of visitors, actions that individuals have taken and time visitors store them in order to free up space; and firms in the fine art spend on the site, represent the starting point and can help reveal space are interested in making sure original artwork is well whether a print provider is getting the bang for its bucks. represented and accurate. Wide-format scanners, which can be used for scan-to-file, scan-to-print or both functions, play a A print provider that is getting traffic but has a very low time per key role in the production of high-quality graphics and images. visit might want to start considering ways to compel visitors to Contact Image Sensor (CIS) technology is more appropriate for stay longer, by focusing on web design, content, relevance and technical documents and shops that do about 100 to 300 scans ease of use. Bounce rate refers to the frequency with which a month, while a Charged Coupled Device (CCD) scanner can someone exits a site from the homepage without looking at any produce a wider array of colors with greater accuracy for posters, other pages on the site, and a healthy bounce rate for an average photography or artwork. website for a printing solutions company should be around 20 percent. A printing solutions company that has a bounce rate of Eric DuPaul, Designjet business development manager with Hewlett- more than 20 percent should consider whether their website uses Packard, said the company offers a free service called ePrint & printing jargon rather than the language that customers speak, Share that would enable print service providers to jump on trends and should give them a reason to click to other pages. Analytics such as cloud-based initiatives. “PSPs can utilize this to share the also can reveal the location customers come from, the keywords scanned documents back to the client, who can also use ePrint & entered to arrive at the website, the content that most attracts Share to share the documents with as many entities as they see fit, visitor attention and the source of traffic. A best practice for and then add or subtract recipients as the job entails,” DuPaul said. understanding analytics is to spend 15 minutes each month with And Oce North America is targeting government agencies now that some thought-provoking numbers.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 107 INDUSTRY NEWS
Bustamante joins the coveted UL mark. It indicates the industry, recently unveiled three new Strata-Tac as Exclusive products met rigorous safety standards inks for its 1000 Line of continuous Agent for Mexico for use in printing environments and ink jet printers. Videojet developed were found in compliance with U.S. the new V489-C pigmented black ink, PSDA member requirements. The Ultra 200/A was V438-D black heat-cure ink and V413-D Strata-Tac, a coater also evaluated for applicable Canadian black returnable bottling ink to fulfill and laminator in requirements and has been issued the specialized customer requirements St.Charles, Ill., ULC mark. The Ultra 200/A UV Coater and applications. “Videojet is focused recently added applies high quality glossy or satin on meeting our customers’ unique Joaquin Bustamante ¿QLVKWRDYDULHW\RIRIIVHWDQGGLJLWDOO\ application needs while ensuring to its team of printed pieces, enhancing the richness of maximum printer uptime,” said John international agents. its colors as well as protecting them from Kirschner, Videojet supplies business Joaquin is a 13-year veteran of the label For more product marketing director. “And all Videojet converting industry. He will be the VFUDWFKHVDQGVFXI¿QJ fluids are designed to provide optimum exclusive agent for Strata-Tac in Mexico. information, please visit www.duplousa.com. print quality and greater uptime. With ProDocumentSolutions more than 340 application-unique O’Neil Printing Names New products, Videojet manufactures Chief Development Officer Introduces Recycled, more fluids and supplies than any O’Neil Printing High-End Security Paper other industrial coding and marking recently announced manufacturer.” For more information, that Tim Butler has visit www.videojet.com. been named chief GHYHORSPHQWRI¿FHU Kyocera Develops 1200 Butler is a seasoned x 1200 dpi KJ4B-Z Inkjet executive with more Printhead than two decades of leadership experience for emerging companies. Most recently, Butler served DVFKLHIRSHUDWLQJRI¿FHUDW$9&RQFHSWV a national, full-service supplier of audio- ProDocumentSolutions, a PSDA visual staging and technical support for member provider of secure documents meetings, conventions and trade shows. and products, recently began offering In 2008, he served as president and chief a 100 percent post-consumer waste H[HFXWLYHRI¿FHURI7KH/HJDO%URDGFDVW high-end security paper trademarked Network, an Internet media company that SafeImage+™. Along with being the provides content and networking for trial first environmentally friendly security lawyers and other legal professionals. paper, SafeImage+ also incorporates Kyocera recently developed the KJ4B-Z Early in his career, Butler became extraordinary security layers, which will Series 1200 x 1200 dpi high-resolution involved with the printing industry, substantially hinder fraud attempts. These inkjet printhead for water-based ink, VHUYLQJLQYDULRXV¿QDQFLDOUROHVZLWK security layers include a custom designed achieving a one-print speed of 80 meters New England Business Service, a $260 three-dimensional true watermark with per minute. The newly developed KJ4B-Z million international direct mail company unique security and recycle images, UV Series 1200 x 1200 dpi inkjet printhead and manufacturer. dull, toner adhesion on both sides, UV achieves higher drive frequency by visible green and gold fibers, invisible improved signal waveform that controls UV orange fibers, five chemical stain the piezo actuator, which controls ink protection and is fully MICR/OCR ejection. The KJ4B-Z Series printheads Products compliant. For more information on provide high-resolution printing due ProDocumentSolutions, visit the to the high-density arrangement of company website at www.pro.web.st. piezo actuators and ink nozzles through Duplo USA’s Ultra 200/A Kyocera’s proprietary design and UV Coater Receives UL simulation technologies. Furthermore, Approval Videojet Introduces the print width of 108 mm (4.25 inches) The Ultra 200/A UV Coater and the SF- Three New Inks requires fewer printheads even for 200 Suction Feeder, distributed by Duplo Videojet Technologies Inc., a wide-format printing, which simplifies USA Corporation, recently received manufacturer of coding, printing and equipment design. This product also the seal of approval from Underwriters laser marking products, fluids and provides the same drive durability Laboratories (UL) and have been issued accessories for the product identification performance (ink ejection frequency)
108 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG INDUSTRY NEWS
as conventional products. Furthermore, sharp detail, critical for barcodes and Trelleborg Offers employing an externally sealed structure small text. For more information, visit Packaging Guide, Two New ensures the high reliability required www.epson.com/surepress. Blanket Solutions for commercial printing. For more Trelleborg recently released a brochure — information on Kyocera and its new MPX to Offer Pitney Bowes available for download via the Trelleborg printhead, visit global.kyocera.com. Volly Secure Digital Delivery website — that features all the company’s Service to Customers LQQRYDWLYHSULQWLQJVROXWLRQVVSHFL¿FDOO\ Epson Introduces New designed for use in the packaging SurePress Digital Label industry, including two new coating Press with White Ink solutions. Thomas Linkenheil, president Epson America recently announced the of Trelleborg Printing Solutions, SurePress L-4033AW — a seven-color said: “The package printing industry inkjet digital label press with white is extremely fast-paced, varied and ink that makes high-quality, short-run demanding, and, as such, the industry label printing easier and more efficient, PSDA member MPX recently signed a needs high performance products that even on clear and metallic substrates. strategic alliance agreement with Pitney can be relied upon to not only stand the Delivering exceptional print quality and Bowes Inc. for the Volly secure digital test of time, but to continue to provide accurate color reproduction on a wide delivery service. MPX will begin by DQH[FHSWLRQDO¿QLVK Trelleborg’s new variety of standard label substrates, the providing the innovative service to its Rollin MyCoat, a 2-ply mylar based L-4033AW enables label converters and customers in the telecommunications and strippable coating blanket, features a commercial printers to expand their energy industries. “We’re excited for this specialist construction which makes service offering and improve profitability. partnership as it will offer our customers stripping very easy; the innovative The SurePress L-4033AW leverages a savings in time, money, and resources; compressible layer of the blanket strips EPSON SurePress AQ seven color ink the postage savings alone is significant,” down to the blue layer allowing the end- technology with new white ink, which said Ryan Jackson, CEO of MPX. user to see if knock outs are correct and can be printed first or last, for solid, precise. For more information, visit opaque white printing on materials such The Volly secure digital delivery www.Trelleborg.com/Printing-Blankets. as clear film and metallic substrates. service is a cloud-based digital mail To deliver precise color matching and communications platform that will accurate reproduction of spot and empower consumers to receive, view, specialty colors, EPSON SurePress AQ organize and manage bills, statements ink set also includes green and orange and other content from multiple inks for higher saturation and true-to- providers using a single application. life shades for more eye-catching labels. Volly is an opt-in, consumer-focused In addition, SurePress leverages Epson’s consolidation service that also includes original MicroPiezo® ink jet technology online bill pay, and will be made available delivering accurate dot shape and at no cost to U.S. consumers. For more placement for high-end color quality and information, visit www.mpxonline.com.
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 109 CLASSIFIEDS
BUSINESS FORMS COMMERCIAL PRINTING
DIRECT MAIL
DECALS
REWARDS
110 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG CLASSIFIEDS
ENVELOPES AND STATIONERY
PLASTIC PRODUCTS
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 111 CLASSIFIEDS
ENVELOPES AND STATIONERY FOLDERS
OUTSOURCE BILLING/STATEMENT PROCESSING
112 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG CLASSIFIEDS
MAILERS PLASTIC PRODUCTS
SIGNS/POSTERS/WIDE FORMAT
TAGS AND LABELS
PSDA.ORG | JUNE 2012 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | 113 CLASSIFIEDS
TAGS AND LABELS
ADVERTISE WITH THE INDUSTRY LEADER Reach the premier audience of print distribution professionals. Contact your Print Solutions sales representatives: Dave Merli Ryan Abell [email protected] [email protected] 202.367.1219 202.367.2332
Companies that advertise in Print Solutions provide vital financial support for the Print Services & Distribution Association (PSDA) and deliver products and services of tremendous value to print industry professionals. When you seek additional information from these companies, make sure to mention that you saw their display ads in Print Solutions and thank them for their continuing support of PSDA.
ADVERTISER PAGE WEBSITE ADVERTISER PAGE WEBSITE
4over BC www.4over.com Identity Group/BSI 53 www.bsiprint.com AccuLink 49 www.acculink.com International Label Mfg 67 www.internationallabelmfg.com Admore 17 www.admorefolders.com Lancer Label 19 www.lancerlabel.com Badger Tag 37 www.badgertag.com Magnum Magnetics 103 www.magnummagnetics.com B&W Press 9 www.bwpress.com MICR Express 23 www.micrexpress.com BCT/Lombardo 29 www.bct-net.com Northeastern Envelope 67 www.northeasternenvelope.com Broker Forms 53 www.brokerforms.com ProDocumentSolutions 41 www.prodocumentsolutions.com Carolina Cut Sheets/US Tag 105 www.champion-industries.com PSDA On-Demand Training IBC www.psda.org/?OnDemandTraining Discount Labels 7 www.discountlabels.com Roeda Signs 97 www.roeda-signs.com EM Print Group 49 www.emprintgroup.com Strategic Print Alliance 11 www.strategicprintalliance.net Ennis IFC, 1, 2 www.ennis.com The DFS Group 35 www.dfsonline.com Ennis Catalog 115 www.ennis.com/bfs Ward/Kraft 93 www.wardkraft.com Ennis Tag & Label 43 www.ennis.com Western States 63 www.westernstatesenvelope.com Ennis Uncompromised 101 www.ennis.com/checks Wilmer 27 www.4wilmer.com ESI/Envelope Service Inc. 109 www.esi.net Wisco Envelope 33 www.wiscoenv.com Folder Express Insert, 64-65 www.folderexpress.com Wise 5 www.wbf.com Formax 25 www.formax.com Wright Enterprises 15 www.wrightbg.com GDS Display 63 www.gdsdisplay.com Zoo Printing 39 www.zooprinting.com
114 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG
FINAL THOUGHTS
Employee Orientation Steps to Guarantee a Positive Return on Your Investment BY SALLIE BIITTNER
o you are taking on a new employee. As a hiring manager, you have invested a lot and curtailed other priorities to spend time and energy on the recruitment and selection process. Your time is money to your business. So make your investment in hiring count by extending it into his or her first days, weeks A SUCCESSFUL Sand months on the job to ensure your new hire will be successful and productive. “ FIRST WEEK FOR Tips for Orienting New Hires A NEW EMPLOYEE After the job offer has been accepted and before he or she has come on board, stay in IS CLEARLY THE touch with the newly hired employee. Check in frequently before the start date. Ask HIRING MANAGER’S if there are any questions. Make sure he or she has all the information needed to be prepared for day one. Not only will this help make the new hire feel valued, but it will RESPONSIBILITY. deter any competing interest from other employers. THEREFORE, YOU
Of course, there are the formal things one does to orient a new employee in the job, SHOULD PLAN FOR IT but the informal things are just as critical. Aside from the payroll and benefit sign- AS YOU WOULD ANY up, basic safety, equipment and scheduling topics, take the time to talk about the OTHER IMPORTANT unique aspects of your company’s culture. For example, how important is being on time? Are there unwritten rules about meeting attendance, attire or voicing opinions? BUSINESS ACTIVITY. Talk about it!
A successful first week for a new employee is clearly the hiring manager’s responsibility. Therefore, you should plan for it as you would any other important business activity. Nothing should be more important to your schedule that week than being accessible and carving out time each day to meet with your new hire. Create ”Finally, make sure you schedule periodic check-ins in the weeks and months a schedule for him or her for the first weeks, including what meetings to attend, that follow. The learning curve for any what materials to read, and whom to meet and speak with. Arrange those meetings position is longer than anyone ever yourself in advance. Also, have someone provide basic training on technology. expects. If your new hire feels supported Cover topics such as the business cycle, important initiatives, key client projects, in the first six months, you will improve management styles and communication preferences of key people, how meetings are the likelihood that he or she will stay run (whether formal with agendas or informal), and where and when to take ideas engaged and committed. and concerns. By seeing the new employee as a business Expectations and Check-ins investment, your dedication of time and If the new employee has supervisory responsibilities, it is especially important for attention will ensure an optimal return, you, in advance of the individual’s start date, to meet with the team and present the enabling him or her to more quickly new supervisor’s background — including why the selection was made and what to get up to speed and deliver value to the company. PS expect. This will address the team’s potential unease during the transition and allow the new supervisor to move into high gear. Working in high gear is good, but not before you are assured the new hire understands your expectations, the company and Sallie Biittner is an executive consultant its operating culture. with Affinity HR Group, LLC, which specializes in providing human resources assistance to associations such as PSDA Be sure to cover your performance expectations and particularly how goals and and their member companies. To learn performance assessments are conducted. Arrange for any essential training and more, visit www.affinityHRgroup.com. ensure the employee is aware of company and department goals.
116 | PRINT SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2012 | PSDA.ORG