Congratulations to James Caldwell and all the crew at Total Graphics for having a very entertaining open house at the end of April. Total Graphics is well known for its large-format printing capabilities. With the recent purchase of a FujiFilm Acuity advance flatbed digital printer, they have expanded into the digital printing market. Total also has a new KBA Rapida 162-A press, one of only a few in Canada. We wish every success to the hardworking and dedicated crew at Total Graphics.

Hans Gronhi welcomes a long time member of the industry to its staff, Chris Speller. With over 30 years in the printing field, Chris has worked for Ryobi and Presstek. Chris sold me my first Ryobi press, which seems like a century ago in time.

I would like to extend best wishes to Anne Mulcahy on her retirement as head of Xerox. She has done a lot for the company during her years in service. I will miss having a fellow Mulcahy in the industry.

We are living in interesting times and the closure of Graphic Arts Monthly in the U.S. is a wakeup call for all of us. Its famous “blue book” will be a loss to the industry. Does it mean the print magazines are to become extinct? I don’t think so. Yes, the printing industry is changing; big is not always better. More work is done on the World Wide Web, but survival is about adaptation. Humans have endured it for centuries in many capacities; we just have to keep steady to our goals and make the necessary adaptations to achieve them.

Last month, I told you that we were changing audit companies. After working with CCAB for many years, we have decided to change to a Canadian-based company; Canadian Media Circulation Audit. They have much better competitive pricing, are recognized by Heritage Canada, the Canadian government, and are published in CARD. Like the adaptations we spoke of earlier, we see it as our duty to our advertisers to seek out equivalent quality at reasonable prices to keep our overhead down and keep the pricing competitive for you. We will have our first audit completed with CMCA shortly. We continue to mail to 10,600 locations every issue.

If you receive a renewal sheet with this issue of the magazine, it means your free subscription is up for renewal. Please promptly fill out the sheet, sign and return the form via, fax, mail or Web as soon as possible. This renewal form is one of the requirements of the auditing companies.

There is a cloud hanging over our industry, like the volcanic ash of Iceland that has grounded so many. But stay calm, keep focused on your final destination and again we will be flying.

Until next time, stay positive and stay focused.

Joe Mulcahy

joe@graphicartsmag.com