For more than 12 years, Oakville-based Norprint Corp. has been one of Canada’s top niche marketing success stories. Now, with new ownership, the company is poised to set an even higher standard worldwide.
“Don’t worry, it’s not a bomb,” says the Chicago-area horticulturist as she stuffs her bag into the corner.
It’s rare that I’ll get into a full conversation with a stranger, but this woman had the perfect balance of contemplation and, well, imbalance. Did she think her action would raise the terrorist flag, or was she merely mocking the culture of mistrust of recent years?
There are many environmental initiatives that have impacted the printing industry in recent years. On May 20, 2009, the Digital Imaging Association and PaperLinx hosted a presentation designed to identify and demystify environmental standards. DIA invited Wendy Nadan to lead the discussion.
Time seems to be in such short supply that many people don’t even have an extra few hours to attend a seminar or read a book on time management.
For those people looking for some quick suggestions on making the most of their time, here are 12 effective time management rules:
Niche markets have allowed printers to define areas of specialization where they can succeed, even in tough economic conditions. While no one enjoys the challenges of today’s economy, a slow time is the right time to re-evaluate your company’s business strategy. After all, in busy times, when orders are coming through the door fast and furious, and you are working overtime to meet deadlines, who has the luxury of free time to do the planning required to successfully launch into new markets?
In the world of the bindery, there is a very clear dividing line between the world before digital printing and the world after it. Not only has digital printing affected the investment decisions of printers and trade binders, but it’s played havoc with the R&D budgets of vendors as well. It’s not just that the decisions are different; it’s that they’ve become a moving target.
Inexpensive tabletop equipment abounds, but as the market grows in sophistication, demands on the finished products are growing. Robust digital bindery equipment can be expensive, up to $100,000, making the barriers to entry high at the production level. Still, the technology is always changing, driving down costs and improving cost justification. For example, C.P. Bourg has calculated that its off-line BB3002 PUR single-clamp perfect binder, with a single operator running at 70% capacity, will break even at 218 books per day – something that can be achieved in 38 minutes. That would have been unheard of even a few years ago.
We are also seeing tremendous advances in automation and intelligence; creasing and folding technology (notably, the Morgana’s $38,000 DigiFold 5000, which uses flying knife technology to eliminate the issue of toner cracking across the fold); and accommodations for 1:1 printing; as well as sturdier construction and the integration of more traditional binding methods like PUR.
Still, there are a number of remaining challenges.
A clear dividing line between traditional offset binderies and digital binderies
Run length requirements, the differences in inks and coatings and the fact that digital output does not require gathering or collating means that, unless a shop is willing to use digital as a loss leader, it needs to set up separate binding lines for the digital and offset sides of the business. Or, if its offset runs are relatively short, it can invest in comprehensive digital binding capable of handling both digital and traditional output.
Barrier to entry
For shops just getting into digital finishing, the costs are still high for production-quality equipment like digital perfing, cutting, scoring and slitting. Users complain that for the price these devices are still relatively slow.
Productivity and profitability in the digital bindery is dependent upon the level of automation
Yet, the internal mechanics of digital presses, including front, back or side registration, mean that inline production can be a white elephant. Not just because it locks the press into a specific type of work, but because it can also lock printers into a specific brand of press. Printers wanting to switch from a Xerox to a Canon, for example, or from an HP to a NexPress may need to either purchase new equipment or move the equipment offline.
Digital as a loss leader
The need to capitalize two separate binding lines has caused some print shops to decide against investing in the digital bindery. Among them is Pacific Bindery, the largest bindery in Western Canada, which has evaluated the options and decided that it is not justified by its current volume of work.
“The percentage of our work that is digital is probably less than 5%,” says Kris Bovay, general manager for Pacific Bindery, Vancouver. “Many digital printers have invested in their own binding lines, and it wouldn’t be economical for us to convert all of our equipment to hit the digital market.”
Pacific Bindery, Vancouver, operates perfect, lay-flat, and mechanical binding, stitching, folding, collating and padding, including equipment that it dedicates to “short-run” conventional offset and digital. However, even the most efficient short-run machines typically will not produce profitability for digital.
“We have a Horizon BQ that can perfect bind from one book up to 500 (or even 1000), but it’s not always the most economical choice,” says Bovay. “On our other two perfect binding machines, we can run 12,000 books an hour and 8,000 books an hour. While run sizes have gotten smaller, there is still demand for quantities over 1000. So for our plant, short run bindery has become somewhat of a loss leader. We don’t make money on it, but it provides a service for a client who is giving us other work. We do it to maintain the relationship.”
Why wouldn’t the bindery invest in digital on the promise of growth in this marketplace? Isn’t such growth inevitable? Maybe. Digital may be growing as a percentage of the overall mix, but there will still be longer run offset for the foreseeable future and many printers will continue putting in their own digital postpress equipment.
“The risk is that everyone says, you have to go into this, or it’s a lost opportunity, and then we spend the big bucks and the work doesn’t materialize,” says Bovay. “Our service strategy is to ask our customers annually what new business they are looking at, what new markets they are exploring, where they are seeing growth, what needs are unfulfilled, so we’re keeping an eye on new opportunities at all times.”
Going full digital
On the other side of the equation is Lehmann Bookbinding, which has not only embraced the digital bindery, but has placed all of its eggs in the digital basket. Its customer base is split between commercial, education (universities, high schools) and libraries. Because of its focus on bookbinding, the clear trend toward POD in publishing makes the switch to digital a natural choice. Still, the transition was not an easy one.
“We were one of the first to get into digital because our clients were some of the first to get digital,” says Rob Lehmann, co-owner of the bookbinder. “Suddenly we were dealing with different types of paper, different laminates and different sealants on the papers. We had to adjust quickly because our clients were still expecting us to bind anything that they sent us. Plus, they wanted turnarounds in three days.”
Today, Lehmann Bookbinding can bind a book in any way possible, but it’s the result of years of experimentation, research and communication with customers. “If there is good communication, we can come back with a good product without having to research our options. But, it’s streamlined because of the research and communication — not because the issues themselves have disappeared,” Lehmann says.
Today, 80% of Lehmann’s trade work is digital, and the shop is transitioning to short-run equipment. It has even purchased two Xerox presses (one black-and-white, one colour). “The long run is slowly fading away,” says Lehmann. “Publishers aren’t stocking 50,000 and 60,000 books like they used to. Now the requests are for one, two, 10, 500, or 1000. We no longer see the need to keep the larger equipment.”
As the digital bookbinding business continues to grow, so do the number of product introductions. For example, in the hardcover market, LBS has developed its Universal and Combined Endsheets, which allow an adhesive perfect binder to make hardcover books by substituting either endsheet for the cover in the cover feeder. These products consist of a single or double endsheet (with a fly-leaf) pre-attached to a reinforcing tape strip made of cotton cambric cloth. When processed through an adhesive binder, this endsheet is glued to the sheets, producing a book block that is ready for the hardcover casing-in process. The cotton cambric cloth can be switched to a stretch cloth if the book needs to be rounded.
Remaining critical issues
Where is the digital bindery today? What are some of the most critical advances and what issues still remain? Faster speeds on minimum run jobs is always a plus as well as a continued expansion in format sizes (currently, the Bourg BME Booklet Maker offers the largest sheet size available — 14.5”×23.5”; some say it’s time to get 15×20 sheets out there).
There is also a call for more top-loading equipment. “We found through experimentation that when you are top-loading, there is less chance of mistakes, especially if you have postal sorts,” says Frank McPherson, president of Custom Data Imaging, a digital and 1:1 printing specialist in Toronto. “The operator can check the bottom sheet and the next sheet, and by doing that, we found that we had fewer remakes.”
Fortunately, regardless of your needs, there are a lot of good choices out there. Manufacturers like Hunkeler, Horizon, Standard Finishing, C.P. Bourg and Morgana are servicing the digital market very effectively. Or, if printers or binderies intend to service the digital market with their offset equipment, manufactures like Muller Martini, Heidelberg and Kolbus offer full suites of fully automated bindery equipment to allow shops to slash makereadies to the bone, even on large iron.
The challenge is that technology is moving so fast that printers want to be able to swap out their presses, if they think another brand would be a good fit. As a result, customers who once dealt only with Xerox are entertaining Minolta, Canon, Kodak Nexpress or HP. “This causes vendors fits,” says Don Schroeder, vice president of sales for C.P. Bourg. “Some presses print left to right; some print right to left; some are front register; others are back register. Customers say, ‘I have this bookletmaker on a Xerox unit, I want to roll over and connect to Canon or Kodak. Can I do that?’ The answer is, no. On the offset side, some bookletmakers are 15-20 years old. In digital, printers may change presses and brands every three to five years.”
One way that Horizon has met this challenge is by developing binders, folders and saddlestitchers that are designed to straddle the offset and digital worlds. One example is the Horizon HOF high-speed sheet feeder, which can be incorporated into a conventional collating and saddlestitching line to permit production of pre-collated digital or offset-printed sheets through one flexible system. The HOF also supports sheet-level integrity checking to support whatever level of verification may be needed.
Other manufacturers are focused on producing highly-automated nearline finishers, which are press-neutral. Many also have barcode technology or sheet feeders with optical readers on the last sheet for fast changeover between jobs.
Evaluating inline solutions
While many digital printers might feel that nearline finishing is a second-best finishing option, others say not so fast. Custom Data Imaging, which uses near-line finishing, conducted an experiment with inline finishing and noticed that its production speed dropped drastically. “We did a test with one of the manufacturers and found that we were actually losing about 25% in production,” says McPherson. “In this case, the test booklet was an odd size, so we had to run it 8 ½ x 11 and cut it down. At the end of the day, we weren’t saving any time.”
The quick disconnects of nearline equipment and its ability to be shuttled from station to station on wheels in minutes offer a lot of flexibility, and for some jobs, even greater productivity. For example, on the conventional side, Heidelberg’s ST 450 saddlestitcher is fully automated, and each of the different pockets has quick disconnects on wheels. In a couple of minutes, the printer can have the pockets moved from one end of the machine to the other. “You can reconfigure it like a LEGO,” says Manuel Gutierrez, product manager for finishing, Heidelberg Canada.
The ST 450 Saddlestitcher’s full suite of automation also allows users to download the product information or enter the dimensions of the product on the touch screen. “Most of the components of a job set themselves automatically, so it’s well designed for frequent format changes and can meet a wide range of customer demands,” says Gutierrez. “Once the machine is running, the operator can make fine adjustments to get the highest quality and productivity, and then save the settings. The next time he runs the same job, he can select the job from the touchscreen and the machine will set itself for that job.”
On the digital side, advanced intelligent automation and colour touchscreens come on a variety of POD equipment as well. “All Horizon BQ-series binders come with intelligent automation and allow operators who don’t have bindery experience — in many cases the same operators who are running the digital printers — to achieve professional quality results,” says Mark Hunt, director of marketing at Standard Finishing Systems. “These binders also sport a digital caliper that measures book thickness and transfers the data to the binder for fully automatic setup.”
Entry-level backlash
Although all of this automation sounds great, it also costs money. For this reason, printers and binderies feeling the pressure to get into digital binding may be tempted to purchase less expensive fast-bind and other technology that lets you get into the market at a lower price of entry, but caution is in order.
“Many people want to turn around a product and get it out there, but if a book falls apart, as far as I’m concerned, we didn’t do our job,” says Lehmann. “That’s why we stayed away from the cheaper methods of binding books.”
One of the binder’s recent purchases is the Bourg BB3002, the first single-clamp PUR perfect binder that fully automates book manufacturing down to a run length of one. Lehmann chose PUR because, unlike EVA adhesives, which are often found on the less expensive machines, PUR provides resistance to a wide variety of inks, varnishes, oils and solvents that migrate into the glue line and can cause some EVA adhesives to fail on certain substrates, such as coated stocks, photographic papers, recycled stocks, cross-grain stocks, acetates and digitally imaged stock.
“For what we want to do, PUR is a necessity,” says Lehmann. “Now we can bind pretty much any type of paper with cover stock at any length. Trying to setup a job of 25-50 books on a nine-clamp binder like our Muller Martini Panda is difficult. On this machine, the first book is a good book. Plus, we don’t have to charge the setup fees like we do on a larger binder.”
(Horizon takes another approach by allowing users to switch between EVA and PUR on the same machine. Its four-clamp BQ-470 features interchangeable glue tanks, letting operators switch from EVA to PUR in minutes).
Return to robustness
As the digital binding industry turns to tried and true methods of binding, it should be no surprise that we’re seeing a focus on a more robust approach to manufacturing, hence manufacturers like Heidelberg entering the POD binding market.
While many of Heidelberg’s products offer many of the same features as other manufacturers, its approach is to produce products with more robustness, bringing the Heidelberg quality and reputation to POD finishing. The company is also attempting to be more strategic with its choices of features. “The gap in pricing between manual setup and fully automated solutions is very wide and can be difficult for many printers to justify,” says Gutierrez. “Because automation is more than moving mechanical components, the improvements in equipment must address the market trends that actually make a difference to customers.”
Gutierrez is referring, in part, to its Eurobind 600 and Eurobind 1300, which Heidelberg reintroduced at drupa last year. The new models include high automation and integration with the touchscreen, improvements to the milling station and the option of PUR. These changes improve flexibility, and make operation easy with short makreadies while achieving high throughput and quality that rivals the larger binders. Another approach to resolving the cost-quality-turnaround dilemmas in the digital world is pre-conversion—the creation of pre-converted products so that no post converting is required. Although it removes the flexibility of full customization, pre-conversions can remove the bottlenecks and pain of gluing, perfing, scoring, die-cutting, and other complex bindery steps.
What about 1:1?
One of the remaining challenges for the digital bindery is the ability to handle the data-driven personalization market. “The ability to handle different sizes and formats in a one-off sequence is driving companies like us crazy,” says Schroeder. “One set is two sheets of paper, finished into an eight-page booklet, but the next is a 200-page booklet to stitch, fold and trim. The industry doesn’t yet have a cost-effective, dynamic stitcher to adjust the length of the stitch and accommodate the variable page count. Until that is developed, the best you can do is complete automation to take the makeready down as low as it will go.”
Schroeder concludes, “The variable print market and print run of one will be even more important in the future. All our technology today, and in the future, is intended to address variable printing.”
Along with 1:1 production is job tracking and reporting. Gone are the days of 5% or 10% overages. Every record needs to count, and in 1:1 jobs, your error rate must be 0%. In POD, if the client wants 100 books, you print 100 books. If you are finishing inline, the press will do the tracking for you. If you are finishing offline or near-line, you need to be looking at some other type of system, such as barcode matching, infrared or video verification.
Manufacturers are putting a lot of research and development dollars into developing such systems, but for job tracking and verification to gain widespread adoption, it needs to be more cost-effective. Currently, if you are looking at barcode readers on an offline solution, for example, you are looking anywhere from $10,000 to $35,000. In some cases, this can be as much as the machine itself.
But, the technology that is available is highly effective. Bourg’s BME Booklet Maker, for example, has set integrity features built in, where if a set is not complete, the machine will kick it out to a reject tray, where the operator can correct and re-feed it. The machine communicates directly with the Bourg BST Tower Collator (or soon, the BSF Sheet Feeder), so the feeder knows what it is sending to the BME, and using sensors within the device, the BME acknowledges this information and makes sure that what is stitched, folded and trimmed is the correct set and sequence.
For some applications, such as the matching of envelopes and inserts, there are developments that work around the issue of matching the various components. An example is the Kern EasyMailer, which actually creates the insert and the envelope from the same sheet of paper. It takes a plain 11” x 17” sheet printed on a Xerox digital press, cuts it into two 8 ½” x 11” sheets, then folds the first sheet into an envelope. The second sheet is the letter insert. This gives the printer the ability to create matching full-colour, data-driven messages on both the envelope and the letter—all in a contiguous stream.
What about JDF?
Will JDF eventually be the answer? Perhaps, but all indications are that time is not now. While some have predicted that the one aspect of the industry most likely to embrace JDF is the bindery, the challenge is, again, capitalization.
“For JDF to work, it has to be embraced at every stage, and right now, there’s almost no one doing that,” argues McPherson. “On the conventional side, if someone bought a cutter 10 years ago, to get it brought up to speed for JDF, he has another 15 years to go — maybe longer. I know people who have had Muller Martini bookletmakers for 35 years. If they buy a new one, they will have two, one is JDF and one is not. This is the hidden problem with electronic dockets and job definition. How are you, in prepress, going to decide whether that job will go to the JDF machine or not?”
Not even all manufacturers are on board with JDF in any case. Some, such as Muller Martini and Horizon, have taken a lead, with all newly-developed machines being JDF-compatible. Horizon will introduce an all-new JDF bindery control platform at Print 09 that will gather production metrics from across the bindery to inform better post-press decision-making. Others, such as C.P. Bourg, are coming up with intelligent, sensor-driven technology that provides a high level of automation on a proprietary basis until the industry settles on a standard.
Impact on offset
What impact has all of this had on offset binding? It’s really put pressure on those kludged together workflows to become more efficient. Manufacturers are forced to continually upgrade even the longer run equipment to be more efficient, with faster makeready, more automation, and including the same benefits you find on the digital side.
Not that digital and offset binderies are competing with one another, but more that offset has to find increasing ways to become more competitive, period.
“The key for us is to provide equipment that is extremely flexible that takes output from both offset and digital, UV coating inks, laminated substrates and other elements. It has to be extremely user-friendly for fast setups and changeovers. Yet, we also have to consider the total cost of ownership or operation, which speaks to maintenance and repair. Many customers today don’t want to invest in a maintenance contract, preferring to do at least some of their own maintenance and repairs,” says Schroeder.
For shops just looking to get into a really good digital bindery, what might it cost? If the shop is just getting into digital, it might need to invest only in a single-clamp perfect binder, which can cost less than $60,000 for full automation. For another $60,000, they might consider adding an integrated digital stitch-fold-trim machine. Adding a collator or sheet feeder brings the total tab to about $160,000. All those pieces of equipment are also designed to handle conventional business, bringing the bindery up to speed to handle both digital and conventional offset in an efficient manner.
To equip the bindery to the teeth, however, they might be looking at $500,000 for highly automated gathering, binding and trimming as a complete process, with the automation needed to handle digital output, while still enabling their conventional processes to run at high speed.
It’s a lot for shops to absorb, especially with the world of prepress and printing changing quickly as well. Printers and trade binderies have a lot of balls in the air, and with all of the product introductions, the changing ROI equations, and constantly shifting customer demands, capital investments have become a moving target. But, the good news is, if you can’t hit your target today, wait a few weeks. The equation will change again.
The export menu in programs like InDesign and Quark contains a compatibility version number that relates to a version of Acrobat. This is not about the version of Acrobat being used, but about the features available in the PDF.
If you look in the Export window, the first items to choose are the standard of PDF and the compatibility level. A standard set to “none” allows you to create your own settings. This gives you a choice of different Acrobat versions (4,5,6,7 and so on) and their respective PDF version (1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, etc). When you select one of the PDF/X standards, you will see that the compatibility changes to Acrobat 4 and PDF 1.3.
PDF 1.3 does not include transparent objects so everything is flattened when saving the PDF. It cannot handle things like monotones and duotones. OpenType font features are not available and neither are version layers. This is the version of PDF available in Acrobat 4. Choosing Acrobat 4 compatibility will give you a PDF that is flattened and has any features listed above removed or converted.
PDF 1.4 and 1.5 allow transparency to be flattened at the end of the process so this transparency remains in your PDF. This allows the best possible flattening for your artwork. Still, some OpenType features are not supported. These versions of PDF will remove or convert these features to make them compatible with Acrobat 5 and 6.
Acrobat 7 brought many changes to the PDF 1.6 level by adding OpenType features, better use of the DeviceN color space and optional content. Beware, not all of the rips out there today can properly produce these features in a PDF 1.6 – Acrobat 7 compatible file.
What does all of this mean when creating InDesign or Quark PDF files?
By understanding the features you are using and the level of PDF that can support them, you will get the best quality file output at the print stage. If you choose to flatten your own files, you run the risk of flattening things, like type, which can rasterize. What is worse, half the type rasterizes and the rest remains as type, making the final product more noticeable.
Another problem with flattening your own files is that they are practically impossible to fix after the fact. Prepress can do more with a transparent file. They are unable to unflatten a PDF and the original layout files will be required for any adjustments.
If you supply your PDF files in the PDF 1.5 format, the files can be flattened at the end of the process – after trapping and after imposing at RIP time. The RIPs do the best job of flattening as they are converting the colour and applying profiles. Be aware of the features that are not supported. If you are using OpenType features such us alternate glyphs you should check your PDF to see if all items have translated properly and be aware of any error messages when you check your file in Acrobat.
Not all RIPs that are running today can handle the special features of PDF 1.6. DeviceN, which is the “placeholder” colour space that InDesign and Quark use to keep items like gradients and colourized images separate from the other spaces before deciding how to flatten, has been increased from eight to 32 items and has caused some problems in non-Adobe RIPs.
Still, there are standards in place for specific workflows that require you to create postscript and distill or provide PDF/X standard files. These standards are in place for a reason. If your print provider allows you to send a PDF 1.5 file, exporting the file from InDesign is what is recommended by Adobe for the best quality file output. Ask your provider how they feel about exporting from Quark first.
Metrix is an imposition software, but it’s unlike any other imposition software I’ve ever dealt with.
While I have many good things to say about Metrix, I should note it’s not the perfect software, and it’s not for everyone. For those of you who are currently using an imposition software that is integrated with your workflow, I would advise you to think about not only the cost of the software, but the costs of training your employees and the lost production efficiencies that come along with a system change. This goes for any system really, not just imposition. That being said, if you are looking for ways to improve productivity in the long run, software is certainly a place you can still find great bang for your buck.
Getting back to Metrix, there is one huge selling feature as far as I’m concerned – the automatic layout feature. The system offers you the ability to input multiple items at multiple sizes with multiple quantities and will then produce the most efficient layouts possible. As someone who used to do this all manually at various points in my career, this is an amazing achievement in technology.
Gallery: Metrix screen captures (click to enlarge)
There aren’t too many companies where this sort of combo running would be enough to make or break a business, but for those who do a fair bit of this, the software pays for itself relatively quickly. The downside to this is that in previous versions of the software it was unable to calculate forms in various printing methods. All the items were laid-out sheetwork, work and turn, or perfecting. You could not have three forms sheetwork followed by the fourth work and turn. Of course, for Web printers, this would not have any impact. The other shortfall is that the system will always put one item on one form and not take into account that you could have the same item on multiple forms to reduce the length of a print run. But that being said, the system makes short work of even the more complex layouts. Even if the presented layouts aren’t always exactly as desired, they are a marvelous starting point if nothing else.
Many of you might look at this tool and think that it almost sounds more like a planning and estimating tool than layout software. I would argue that it’s equal parts of both. An estimator can use the tool to create a layout for an estimate or a production coordinator can use it to produce a layout concept for prepress; there is a minimal amount of time and energy required to create a proper, workable prepress layout. Now, in most cases, it actually would be counterproductive to have an estimator use this tool for every estimate as most estimates don’t become jobs. But, for those jobs that could employ the use of Metrix, the bulk of the work for a proper layout is already done. In fact, using the software takes a little more time than actually drawing a layout freehand.
While it’s great on production, there are a few more concerns on the prepress side of things. For one, the files are fixed when they come to prepress, so a Mac operator would not be able to change them on the fly, unless he/she has a copy of the software and training. I have also heard that there is no apparent time savings on placing files into a Metrix imposition as opposed to more traditional imposition software. In addition, the files are exact when they come to prepress and, as a result, must be made perfectly. In order to do this, whoever is creating the files must know the exact dimensions and orientation of the file before beginning the process. In essence, the file must be reviewed and documented before it can be planned. However, the onus for layouts, marks, and just about everything in regards to imposition is no longer the burden of prepress.
Small shops, digital shops and those doing repetitious work should not investigate this software though. But, for those shops looking for a leg up on impositions, Metrix just might be the software.
For more information on the software, visit Lithotechnics.
When I was young, my parents told me to study hard, so I would sit at my desk with a pile of books on one side with an open workbook book in front of me, not studying. When my parents would peak into my room, they would say “It’s nice to see you so busy.” That’s optics.
Making decisions based on optics alone can catch up with you sooner or later resulting in bad grades, foiled campaigns and lost opportunities.
One of the concerns that many marketers face in these troubled times is a reduction in marketing budgets. The knee jerk reaction is to chop the number of trade shows and events. Other marketers are reluctant to reduce their face-to-face marketing exposure, continue their program, albeit with a reduced budget, for fear of creating a negative impression on potential buyers.
During the past few years, there has been much talk about the value of face-to-face marketing. Industry experts, including myself, have detailed the process that will help exhibitors calculate a return on investment and return on objectives. Yet, surprisingly, few have adopted this basic business tenant and integrated the practice into their exhibit plans. Some opt out when they learn that their efforts have not been as good as they would have imagined; others stay because they are led by the mistaken idea that the calculation of results are only for those who sell products.
If more marketers would take the time to calculate their results, they would have the crucial answer on their return of their exhibiting investment. But, the issue of optics involves one more criteria. You also have to look at the cost of not exhibiting. This may seem like a more difficult number to calculate, but there is enough industry data around to help. For example, the CEIR (Center for Exhibition Industry Research) recently (spring 2009), found that the cost of obtaining a high value lead at an exhibit was about half the cost of obtaining a similar lead without a trade show. The cost of an initial visit with a high-quality contact was about a fifth of the cost when compared to non-show activity.
Statistics like these and the many more that are available point to a clear value for maintaining an exhibit program. However, what about those non-monetary values, such as reinforcing a brand or gaining market share. Similar studies provide evidence that there are definite values in these non-monetary goals. In a CEIR’s recent census, a survey of exhibitors found the following:
Exhibitions increase corporate and/or brand recognition; 67% agree or strongly agree.
Exhibitions assist in gaining/retaining market share; 67% agree or strongly agree.
(Source: CEIR, the cost effectiveness of exhibition participation, spring 2009).
With these numbers in mind, the issue of optics comes into play. When you withdraw your support for your face-to-face program, you run the risk of losing the direct advantage you sought by choosing to be there in the first place, but of equal importance is that you also create a negative impression in your customers’ and industry’s eyes that can be irreparable. Even if you can’t justify your show participation by new contacts or orders written, it is important to let the rest of the world know that you are not hurting. Stay visible even if you participate in a show with less space. However, don’t shortchange your overall look and feel of your display just to be there. Stay visible in a smaller space but maintain the optics of success. At the end of the day, your investment is sure to reap rewards.
On Wednesday, June 24th, Heidelberg held its Environmental Technology Inforum. The event was held to provide information to customers, potential customers and the industry as a whole about what solutions Heidelberg has to offer to improve a printer’s environmental impact and in-turn improve their bottom line. They explained to us what the main contributors are to waste creation within a print shop and the machinery itself and how they have identified and addressed these specific areas individually to improve the efficiency of print shops.
Ray Fagan, product manager, Sheetfed Large Format, Heidelberg Canada was the first to speak and he let us know about what Heidelberg has been doing to improve the environmental impact of their equipment for many years, long before it became fashionable and marketable. Committed to environmental leadership, Heidelberg is ISO 14001 certified and believes this certification is the most stringent test a company can put itself through, with rigorous, continuous improvement efforts necessary to stay certified.
Next to speak was Melissa Peneycad, consultant and research manager from TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc. Melissa explained the EcoLogo program, why third-party verification is important in an increasingly skeptical world and what to watch out for in companies that may be green-washing.
We then heard from Richard Czarnecki, vice-president of technology, Superior Printing Inks, who informed us about the value of using Saphira Bio Process Inks. We learned that these inks are the only ones in North America to achieve third-party environmental certification through EcoLogo. Saphira Bio Process Inks have low VOCs due to their high percentage of vegetable oils as opposed to petroleum based oils. The inks have a high lithographic performance, they comply with current environmental regulations, they have fast setting and drying performance and they reduce makeready times. Not only are these inks made with 30% or more vegetable oil content and renewable and sustainable raw materials, but they are helping print shops become more efficient by reducing drying and waiting times. One customer reported that they could cut printed sheets in as little as 10 minutes after coming off the press and have the job in the bindery in less than two hours. This is due to the fast drying properties of its bio content.
The final speaker at the event was this magazine’s good friend and editorial board member Steve Klaric, product manager, Sheetfed Small Format. Steve gave us a live demonstration of what the Speedmaster SM 52 with Anicolor can do to help shops reduce their makeready times and get up to colour faster than ever before. Print shops will be able to use this new technology to reduce their makeready times from 13 to 7 minutes. They will also be able to reduce their makeready waste from 200 sheets to 20 sheets; and with the highest amount of waste in a print shop coming from paper, according to Heidelberg’s studies, these savings are very significant. Steve showed us the 5th, 15th and 20th sheet from the makereadies and the press was almost instantaneously up-to-colour on the first couple of sheets. These advantages in makeready times/waste and getting up-to-colour are due to the exact ink film thickness and a shorter ink path. They have a format-size individual temperature control of the screen roller for precise ink metering and a format-size inking form roller for printing with minimal ghosting. There are many advantages to using this press. In fact, the only “disadvantage” seems to be that clients may not have the workload to keep it occupied because the press could potentially get the week’s work done in three days. We both agreed while talking later that having this excess capacity to fill is a great problem to have and is just another opportunity for profit. Steve told me that Heidelberg will continue to work hard to create profit opportunities like this for their customers.
Well, the weather has finally turned in a big way – and the hot days of summer are upon us. For many in our industry, this is one of the few moments in the year when we actually have some leisure time on our hands. Use it wisely by spending it with those you love - family, good friends and relatives. Or, if you’re lucky enough, escape to the cottage or take a vacation abroad. After all, isn’t that what these crazy 18-hour work days are all about?
Some of you are already gearing up for the six-day myPRINT show in Chicago from September 11-16 at McCormick Place, so be sure to read George Dedopoulos’ timely preview on page 20. And watch for a more comprehensive preview of myPRINT in our September issue.
Be sure to mark November 12-14 on your calendar too. Canada’s largest and longest-running showcase (44 years, in fact) for the graphic arts and printing industry, Graphics Canada, will be held at the Toronto International Centre. About 250 exhibitors representing over 500 companies will strut their stuff in four exhibit halls at this three-day event. Show officials expect about 12,000 to attend. Watch for a show preview in our November issue.
Congratulations to Cesar Cabrera, new owner of niche marketing leader, Norprint. Cesar is planning some bold new ventures for this innovative Canadian company – so watch out for more headlines in the coming months.
Of course, niche marketing is the theme of this July-August issue, so be sure to check out Tony Curcio’s cover story on Norprint, as well as Ian Baitz’s comprehensive feature on page 30. In these tough economic times, niche markets are becoming more and more important as many printers must define areas of specialization if they hope to succeed.
Myra Penny’s page-26 article on environmental standards and certifications for printers sheds a great deal of light on a topic that still poses problems of clarification for many in our industry.
I’m very happy to welcome Heidi Tolliver-Nigro, a veteran industry analyst specializing in digital and 1:1 printing, to the pages of Graphic Arts Magazine. Her comprehensive feature on page 34 about digital production for binderies is another must-read.
I wish all of our readers and their families a happy, healthy and enjoyable summer. We’ll be back to you in the fall.
As always, stay positive and stay focused
Welcome to the July/August issue. We hope to find you poolside, enjoying this read. And even though summer and relaxation go together, we have spared no elbow grease preparing this issue.
We bring you two new authors this month, both with stellar backgrounds. Ian Baitz is a professor and associate chair of Ryerson University’s School of Graphic Communications Management. His teaching niche is in printing processes, especially offset and flexo, and material testing. His article discusses niches in the printing industry.
Our other author, Heidi Tolliver-Nigro has been a commercial and digital printing industry analyst, feature writer, columnist, editor and author for nearly 20 years. She is known for her meticulous research and no-nonsense perspective. This month she demystifies digital bindery.
Interestingly, the two articles come together on several fronts. Firstly, in some ways, digital bindery is (or certainly can be), a niche market for some printers. Secondly, both authors stress the importance of strong client/printer communication. As Ian explains, a niche is a unique profitable corner of the market. Unique uses of digital printing, such as variable data or 1:1 printing, have now trickled down to impact the binding process down stream. Both authors agree that in order to successfully identify and participate in such a market, the client, printer and even vendor must really understand each other’s needs.
Unfortunately, the client and printer do not always talk the same language. I have spent the last week looking at the world from a slightly different perspective, while attending the Design Management Institute’s Re-Thinking Design conference in San Francisco. The conference brought together leaders in business and design to discuss design thinking. Very broadly, I would qualify design thinking to be an application of the design process to other areas of business. Creating many solutions for one problem in order to flush out any missed details is a simple example of applying design thinking. The conference was co-hosted by Darrel Rhea, CEO of Cheskin Added Value and Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management (the Canadian presence was exceptionally exciting). It was clear that one represented the design world, while the other the business world, respectively. However, they both strongly came together on the importance of design management and design thinking.
The power of language and words was one of my big take-aways. When we don’t understand our clients or vice versa, opportunities are missed. Compounding the problem is the fact that clients may not even know their needs, thus making verbal descriptions of them nearly impossible. From the printer’s perspective, I had to chuckle a little at the designer’s frustration with not being understood, given that printers are often also on a different page than their creative counterparts. Most importantly, I was reminded how inspiring and exciting thinking in new ways can be. Thus, I leave you with a small challenge: at your next meeting don’t ask your colleagues to bring in one idea, ask them to each bring in seven! See what niche you can find.
Natalia Gilewicz
natalia@graphicartsmag.com
Making money, cutting costs
In tough economic times, these are the two great commandments. Here are two specific business-building strategies you might not have considered.
Making money through reseller Web hosting
Stephen Holford is chief marketing officer at Fasthosts Internet, a company that originated in the U.K. in 1999 and ventured into the U.S. market with success just last year. Specialists in reseller Web hosting, Fasthosts Internet “offers everything users need to create their own reseller hosting brand – and earn a recurring profit on everything they sell,” insists Holford. That “user” just might be a small-to-medium-sized Canadian print shop or design firm. But, how does this service work and what’s the cost?
“As a reseller, private-label Web solutions are purchased from a hosting provider (like Fasthosts) at competitive industry prices,” says Holford. “The reseller [in this case a print shop or designer firm] then re-brands them under his/her own current marketing platform and sells them at for-profit prices to end customers. This is done through [his or her] own website.”
In the case of a print shop, the site might feature specific types of printing services for specific clients (such as, large format, book printing, short-run digital, etc.) using an accessible control panel designed for seamless customer management. For example, Fasthosts recently re-fashioned the control panel specifically for the U.S. market so resellers can monitor their hosting business with ease.
“With low initial costs, resellers get a greater return based on what they charge their customers. An added bonus can come from selling existing, free, off-the-shelf packages – a unique way to achieve as much as 100% profit for a reseller,” Holford adds.
Businesses can also choose what Web solutions they want to offer as hosting resellers. Domains, emails and site builders are just a few.
The other advantage is definitely price.
“With minimal spending up front, this is a manageable business opportunity,” Holford says, “and you can offer your customers more products at their own price points. In other words, resellers can market top-of-the-line Web solutions under their own brand. You can design your own Web packages or customize specific ones for each end customer.”
Clear and up-front pricing is the key, he emphasizes. You need to know exactly what the services cost so you can set prices for your market. Finally, having a background in Web hosting isn’t necessary. Fasthosts, for example, provides its resellers with 24/7 U.S.-based technical and account support by email and by phone. More information: www.Fasthosts.com/resell-hosting.
Cutting costs with “Green IT”
More printers are taking steps to reduce their environmental impact, and that’s great – but at what cost? Well, “Green IT” can lower your costs substantially according to Jeff Lorenz, vice-president at Primus Telecommunications Canada, the largest alternative communications carrier in Canada.
“There are a number of steps businesses can take from an IT perspective not only to reduce their energy use and carbon footprint, but also to increase efficiency, improve operations and save money,” he says.
Lorenz offers the following strategies:
1. Create a “telework” environment. More businesses are allowing employees to work remotely as a way of saving money on office space. But, telecommuting also benefits the environment by reducing the number of cars on the road. “While the concept has been around for some time, the systems supporting it have improved dramatically,” says Lorenz. “Technology can now enable companies to create secure unified communications environments built on a shared, remote infrastructure that supports everything from phone to Web conferencing, and that can expand or contract to meet demand.”
2. Consolidate Server Infrastructure. Many companies still house their temperature-controlled and secured server infrastructure on-site. By centralizing servers in a shared-data centre, you can reduce energy costs and minimize security risks.
3. Go “virtual.” Virtualization, which reduces the number and types of servers by essentially sharing computing resources, significantly reduces power consumption and can save you as much as 75% in related overhead costs.
4. Turn off and unplug your computers at night or put them on standby mode after a specified period of inactivity. You can also save a surprising amount of power by unplugging laptops and other devices and work on battery power until they need to be recharged.
In total, says Lorenz, all these strategies can really add up – to cost savings as well as a cleaner environment. More information: www.primuspbs.ca.
Until the 1990s, sheetfed printers had little opportunity to sell products with remoistenable glue. Today, short-run remoistenable glue jobs are practical because current machines yield high-quality jobs at good production rates.
Both sheetfed and non-heatset web printers can now produce products with direct response reply devices and participate in profitable direct-mail campaigns.
It is a sad reality that racial, sexual, lifestyle and political harassment occurs in our workplaces. Even worse is the occurrence of violence, especially repeated bullying. It can even be caused by an overspill of domestic violence with related family in the workplace. In order to address these issues and offer some mode of legally required protection to potential and actual victims, the Government of Ontario is ratifying changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
The forthcoming Bill 168 changes the Occupational Health and Safety Act of Ontario to encompass very specific responsibilities for employers and employees. This is in keeping with its “shared responsibility” edict. I offer here a summary of its key points so that you can be prepared in advance.
Summary Explanation
The Bill adds Violence and Harassment to the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Subsection 1 (1) of the Act is amended to include definitions of workplace violence and workplace harassment.
Workplace harassment means “engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome (“harcèlement au travail”).”
Workplace violence means “(a) the exercise of physical force by a person against a worker in a workplace that causes or could cause physical injury to the worker; (b) an attempt to exercise physical force against a worker in a workplace that could cause physical injury to the worker (“violence au travail”).”
Documented Policies Required
Section 32.0.1 of the Act requires an employer to prepare policies with respect to workplace violence and workplace harassment and to review the policies at least annually. The program must include measures for workers to report incidents of workplace violence and harassment and set out how the employer will deal with incidents and complaints.
Risk Assessment
Section 32.0.2 of the Act requires an employer to develop a program to implement the workplace violence policy. Section 32.0.6 of the Act requires an employer to develop a program to implement the workplace harassment policy. The program must include measures to control risks of workplace violence and harassment identified in the risk assessment that is required under section 32.0.3, to summon immediate assistance when workplace violence occurs and for workers to report incidents or threats of workplace violence. The program must also set out how the employer will deal with incidents, complaints and threats of workplace violence. Section 32.0.3 of the Act requires an employer to assess the risk of workplace violence and to report the results of the assessment to the joint health and safety committee or to a health and safety representative. If there is no committee or representative, the results must be reported to the workers. The risk must be reassessed as often as is necessary to protect workers from workplace violence.
Domestic Violence
Under section 32.0.4 of the Act, if an employer is aware or ought to be aware that domestic violence that is likely to expose a worker to physical injury may occur in the workplace, the employer must take every reasonable precaution to protect the worker. Section 32.0.5 also requires an employer to provide a worker with information and instruction on the contents of the workplace violence policy and program.
The Bill amends section 43 of the Act, which deals with a worker’s right to refuse work in various circumstances where health or safety is in danger and to include the right to refuse work if workplace violence is likely to endanger the worker.
The Bill provides for authority to make regulations, including requiring an employer to designate a workplace coordinator with respect to workplace violence and workplace harassment.
For full details please email me requesting EcoSafe Bulletin 5-09.