Tracking Your Print Campaigns
Part One: XMPie This is a column to share with your marketers. Have you ever wondered how you could track a print campaign so that you could measure the response and gauge its effectiveness? I have. An innocent query from a marketer on this very topic had me post the question in my professional network, [...]
Continue Reading →Who Writes the Specs?
Last week someone in charge of sourcing print for his company wrote to ask my opinion: should he write the printing specs, or should his clients – the internal folks at his firm? He’d heard in the past that clients should write specs. It brought me back to my corporate print buying days at Boston [...]
Continue Reading →Wowing Consumers about Print
A few times a month I blog for PIworld.com, and today’s tip is an updated version of one such blog post. I often wonder what laypeople think about print. Most of them associate “printer” with a personal desktop printer. That’s not likely to change. But recent efforts by the print industry to champion print tend [...]
Continue Reading →What’s in the Stars for Print?
Industry Guru Frank Romano Guides Us I’m fairly choosy about signing up and actually “attending” webinars. Sure, there are plenty that interest me. Somehow when the time comes, I’m in the middle of an assignment that I don’t want to interrupt. But when Frank Romano speaks, I always listen. Recently he was the star of [...]
Continue Reading →The Real Secret to Finding the Best Printer
I’ve been hearing from a lot of business people brand new to working with printers. They’re in marketing and purchasing, publications and graphic design. Some will grow into their print-buying roles and stick with it for ages. Others? Not so much. They’ve been asked to handle the print for their companies now and then. Print’s [...]
Continue Reading →Make Your Marketing Message Shipshape
A direct mail piece has a very short window to grab my attention – seconds, literally. Either I’m hooked and want to read more, or I’m totally unimpressed and toss it. In the past I’ve written on this subject but have always singled out production elements like paper, finishing techniques, design, content, or the size [...]
Continue Reading →Call Me Back, Maybe?
The one, surefire way that a printer won’t get a job to print is by not following up. Forgive me for touching on something so banal, so obvious, so un-newsworthy for today, but I have to. I needed to print a hundred decent-sized signs for personal use, and while the quantity was low, the size [...]
Continue Reading →Tracking Print Campaigns
Two weeks ago, someone new to print sourcing asked me if it’s possible to track and measure print campaigns – the way marketers measure TV and radio spots. The easy answer, of course, was, Sure! The two techniques that came right to mind were QR Codes and PURLs. QR Codes are ubiquitous (though I still [...]
Continue Reading →New Data on Print Buyers Shines Light on Trends
CHESTNUT HILL, MA — February 12, 2013 – Based on a survey conducted in December 2012 by Margie Dana of Print Buyers International, nearly 60% of print buyers say that color management is “Extremely Important” to them – but 61% report that they do not select printers based on certification in color management. This is [...]
Continue Reading →A Peek into the Print Buyer’s World for 2013
In December I created and distributed a 20-question survey about the state of print buying today. My goal was to get a sense of how print buyers are facing 2013, whether print volumes were up or down, how large or small their buying staffs were, and the most preferred ways by which they chose new [...]
Continue Reading →Lo & Behold: A Terrific Printer’s Site Fell into My Lap
Out of nowhere, I received an email last week from a reader who requested a copy of an old Print Tip. While looking her up, I naturally visited her web site, which I’d not seen before. Checking out a company’s web site is the first thing I do; so does every print buyer, BTW. When [...]
Continue Reading →Look Beyond Printers’ Web Sites, Please
Part of my new business focus in 2013 is helping printing companies improve their web sites to more accurately reflect who they are and what they do. By now you know I am “all about the content.” In recent weeks I’ve chatted with three different print executives about their web sites. In each case, these [...]
Continue Reading →Two Thumbs WAY Up for This Trade Publication
In my work, I get a lot of business publications. Some are complimentary; some, I pay for. Recently, I received the latest issue of Package Design, and although the cover didn’t grab me immediately, I sat down with this 32+ magazine and found myself reading every page. That’s pretty rare. What grabbed me? The editorial [...]
Continue Reading →Secrets to Selling to Print Buyers
Time has passed since our annual Print & Media Conference last October in Chicago, when 75 senior-level print buyers from a range of industries came together to learn and network over two days. As I look back on that event, I’ve made some key observations for print company owners and sales reps, which can help [...]
Continue Reading →5 Things Print Buyers Need from Their Printers Right NOW
I listen to conversations and comments by people in all sorts of print buying roles, across many industries. Often they share what they want regarding how to improve skills, reduce errors, or gain a deeper understanding of certain technologies and manufacturing processes. Much of the time they frame these conversations in terms of what they [...]
Continue Reading →Random Thoughts on a Cold December Day 2012
Some days I have too many ideas swimming around my head to settle on just one topic for my column. Today’s one of those days. I thought I’d share a few of them. Mark Bonacorso Foremost on my mind this week is the sudden passing of Mark Bonacorso, a PR wizard in this industry who [...]
Continue Reading →What I’m Watching in 2013
What will 2013 mean for the print & media industries? What changes can we expect to see regarding the use of print in corporate marketing strategies? That’s one of the things I’m most excited about, heading into the New Year – what about you? I’m not so concerned with new technologies and equipment. The bigger [...]
Continue Reading →Printers Step Up
Print buyers reading today’s column may be of the opinion that all printers do is Sell-Sell-Sell every chance they get. I used to think so, too. Yet I’ve learned that given an opportunity to talk candidly on topics that will help educate and inform customers, printers come through with flying (dare I say “PMS”) colors. [...]
Continue Reading →Meeting the Corporate Color Match Challenge
By Guest Columnist Carol Cluppert Carol is the Marketing Director for Ripon Printers in Ripon, WI, and was one of our participating PBI Print & Media 2012 sponsors. After the conference, she emailed me about her interest in this topic, so I encouraged her to write a Print Tip for everyone’s benefit. Voila! While attending [...]
Continue Reading →Having Content Your Way
Yes, she’s 87 – and as far from a Gen C* member as one can get. But my friend and neighbor Maggie knows what she wants, and that extends to customized content. Check it out. In honor of a Dana family milestone, Maggie made a lovely contribution in our name to the MSPCA. A thank [...]
Continue Reading →5 Tips for Integrating QR Codes into a Campaign
By Guest Columnist John Arnsdorf, Product Marketing Manager at XMPie, A Xerox Company Even though QR Codes have been around since the mid 1990’s, their adoption rate has only recently taken off. This is due in part to a larger population of people toting smartphones with higher resolution cameras, larger screens, faster Internet connections, and [...]
Continue Reading →What Makes for a “Good” Print Customer?
Someone asked me to name the qualities or characteristics of a “good” print customer. Hmm. It depends. I think a printer’s list of qualities would differ from a buyer’s list. At any rate, I sat down to make my own list. I’m thinking of professionals who source print as part of their jobs – not [...]
Continue Reading →The Future of Digital IS Print. Say WHAT?
Our 7th Annual Print & Media Conference kickoff demands a dynamite speaker. Enter Andrew Davis. He’ll be delivering the opening keynote on Tuesday, October 9th. This will mark the 3rdtime that Drew has presented for PBI. He’s not your average presenter, trust me. We welcome him back with open arms and wildly clapping hands. Drew [...]
Continue Reading →When Real Mail Looks Like Junk
I came really close to throwing out this piece of mail that came to the house. I totally thought it was junk mail, and had I not hesitated at a snippet of copy on the bottom, it would’ve been trashed – and maybe our son would’ve lost all opportunity to have his picture in his [...]
Continue Reading →10 Reasons Why You Should Shop Around for New Print Providers
Last week I had an interesting conversation with a print rep. We focused on how difficult it is to get print customers to look around and give new printing companies the time of day. Many print customers are content with a core group of preferred printers. Who can blame them? Your printers know you. They’ve [...]
Continue Reading →Q&A with the One-and-Only Daniel Dejan
Daniel Dejan Graphic designer, educator, art/creative director If you say “Daniel” to many designers and print buyers, they’ll know you’re referring to Daniel Dejan. As the ETC Print & Creative Manager for Sappi Fine Paper, Daniel is in a league of his own: he’s widely regarded as an amazingly talented presenter, who delivers so much [...]
Continue Reading →3 Things You MUST Do When Working with a New Printer
When you’re ready to work with a new commercial printing company, you’ll be talking directly (at first) with either a sales rep or the company owner (which is pretty common when working with a small printing firm). Following are three pieces of advice I’d give to new customers in this situation. 1. If you’re working [...]
Continue Reading →It’s a Wild New Digital Printing Landscape, Folks
When I want to find out what’s happening in the printing industry, the first person I go to is Frank Romano. Professor Emeritus at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology), author of over 50 books and founder of eight publications, Frank lectures extensively and continues to be a sought-after speaker for industry audiences of every conceivable [...]
Continue Reading →6 Ways for Print Buyers to Stay Plugged In
Maybe you’re lucky and work with a BIG team of print-buying and design colleagues. Probably not, though. Most corporate print buyers work alone or with one or two others. It can be isolating. It can also be hard to keep up with your field. Worry not! I’ve come up with the Top 6 ways to help [...]
Continue Reading →What Do We Mean by “Specialty Graphics”?
An Interview with SGIA’s Dan Marx I know for a fact that more and more corporate and agency print buyers and designers are handling unusual projects these days, including things that fall under the category of “Specialty Graphics.” In my mind, I think of very LARGE applications when I hear the term – like large-format [...]
Continue Reading →What Print Buyers Won’t Tolerate
Last month I wrote a blog on this topic for Printing Impressions. I’ve expanded and revised it for today’s Print Tip. That’s the thing about us writers. We’re never satisfied, always tweaking this and adding that. Remember that old game show, “$100,000 Pyramid”*? It was a contest between two teams, each one comprised of a [...]
Continue Reading →Seeing Colored Spots Before Your Eyes?
By Margie Dana and Mike Taylor While reading the Sunday New York Times, I noticed the colored dots you see in the accompanying photos. They’re register marks used to help the printers ensure the colors in the full-color images are printing properly. (You see these particular colors because they’re the four process colors used for [...]
Continue Reading →DRUPA 2012: An American in Dusseldorf
By Jeanne Connerney When I heard that professional print buyer Jeanne Connerney was headed to DRUPA this year, I asked her to share her impression of this mega-show, which won’t take place again until 2016 (rather like the seasonal Olympic games, no?). Jeanne graciously agreed. I’m delighted to present her post today. Jeanne has worked [...]
Continue Reading →The REAL Value of Direct Mail
By Larry Raff How coincidental is this? Last week I wrote about two different but very effective pieces of direct mail that I got at home (and loved), and within days, I was emailed a terrific blog post by Larry Raff, a nonprofit development consultant and president and principal of Copley Raff, Inc. This post [...]
Continue Reading →Two Direct Mail Pieces Catch My Eye
Our son Jacob is a high school junior; therefore, he’s getting lots of direct mail pieces from colleges and universities all over the U.S. Many of these pieces come from schools we’ve visited (and to which he’s considering applying), although he’s clearly in some database (College Board, perhaps?) that’s generating tons of mail from lots [...]
Continue Reading →What Is Drupa and Why Should I Care?
By Frank Romano Drupa is the name of the largest print-related exhibition in the world. It is sort of a cross between a world’s fair and the storming of the Bastille. It is the place where new printing technology is introduced. Sometimes, it even works. The first thing that hits you is the sheer size [...]
Continue Reading →Why It’s Harder & Harder to Source Print Professionally
It used to be pretty easy to find commercial printers – compared to today, that is. Their company names identified them as printers. Maybe they had a form of the word “lithographer” or even “graphics” in their name, but one way or the other, you knew who you were dealing with. Today you have to [...]
Continue Reading →Buying Print? Same As It Ever Was
I’m honored to be one of PIworld.com’s many bloggers. Most of the time, I blog about print buying issues, but I’m also passionate about printers’ marketing efforts, so I use my PI blog to share opinions and suggestions for printers as well. Recently I posted this blog, a reaction to a PBI BOSTON session that [...]
Continue Reading →Two Savvy Print Buyers Talk Shop
In the past several months I’ve written quite a bit about printers’ equipment lists and why they’re important to print buyers. The feedback I got convinced me to offer a session devoted to this topic at our recent PBI BOSTON conference. Both speakers have tons of experience. Mariah Hunt, Senior Production Manager at Digitas, has [...]
Continue Reading →Positively Print Buying
As I sit here less than 24 hours since our PBI BOSTON conference ended, my mind’s filled with things I heard, overheard, learned and concluded. Over the next few days and weeks, I’ll recap the sessions in a more organized way. Expect several Print Tips that will share what we learned from our speakers, a [...]
Continue Reading →It’s Not a Book, It’s Not a Magazine….It’s a Bookazine!
I know you’ve seen them – but did you know what you were looking at? I’m talking about a hybrid between a book and a magazine. It looks like a magazine and can be found on magazine racks in retail locations, but it’s something else entirely. One of the sessions at last week’s Publishing Business [...]
Continue Reading →What We Have Here Is a World of Opportunity
Last week I attended one of my favorite shows: the Publishing Business Conference & Expo in NYC. This year’s theme was “Cashing in with Cross-Media Content,” and no matter what part of the industry you identify with, the information was relevant and thought provoking. The Conference proper took place the first two days, followed by [...]
Continue Reading →Why I Trust My Trusty Printers
No matter how much I think I know about getting things printed, it’s inevitable that from time to time, I’ll screw up a spec – like the finished size or the weight/finish of the paper.* Maybe I’ll fail to consider how a piece needs to mail, so I completely forget about meeting key mailing guidelines. [...]
Continue Reading →Compostable Me!
Get a Load of These Natural Substrates When an unusual product comes in the mail, I jump on it (so to speak) for a Print Tip. That’s how I came to chat with a Massachusetts “expat.” The samples that caught my eye were from NatureWoven™, in CA. They were a couple of flexible, 8 ½ [...]
Continue Reading →Margie Dana Publishes 3rd Book: Advice for Printers
Print Selling Made Simple Offers Real-World Advice for Print Service Providers “…a master class in the psychology of print buying” CHESTNUT HILL, MA – March 9, 2012 – Margie Dana, founder of Print Buyers International and well-known champion of print and those that work with the industry, has published her third book, Print Selling Made [...]
Continue Reading →Dear Paper Industry
If I had one to offer just 4 words of advice to the paper industry, it would be these 4: Promote to print buyers! After talking with dozens of print buyers, as well as reading the results of a PBI buyer survey we did recently, it’s clear that the paper industry is missing the boat [...]
Continue Reading →Elite Print Buyers
There’s a world that separates senior-level, experienced print buyers from the novices. I tend to call the former “elite print buyers.” They have made print production management their career. They are expert negotiators and keep up with industry news and manufacturing capabilities. They seek professional development and recognize the value in more education. I know [...]
Continue Reading →Eye-Poppin’ Printed Applications
Back in November, I attended a terrific NEDMA event (New England Direct Marketing Association; I’m a proud member!). One session was all about breakthroughs in direct mail. Soon after, I wrote a Print Tip called How Direct Mail Packs a Punch in 7 Ways – thanks to Karen McCormick of Fulfillment Express, who presented in [...]
Continue Reading →PBI Offers Educational Extravaganza at Print & Media Boston
CHESTNUT HILL, MA — FEBRUARY 13, 2012 – Print Buyers International (PBI) will host leading experts in the print and e-media field for PBI’s Print & Media Boston Conference on Wednesday, April 11, 2012. The event takes place at the Inn at Longwood in Boston, MA, from 8 am to 6 pm. PBI Boston is [...]
Continue Reading →Your car can now Tweet. God help us all.
I couldn’t make this up: automakers are adding social media capabilities to new cars. Right there on the front page of today’s WSJ Marketplace section was an article that sent a crude, 3-letter cyber code to my lips (and it wasn’t “LOL”). Yes, folks, there are cars with 17-inch dashboard screens, cars that can check [...]
Continue Reading →Kiss (Cut) Me, Quick
Sometimes the language of the graphic arts is exquisite. So it is with a particular type of die cutting called the kiss cut. And since Valentine’s Day is upon us, what better to write about? Kiss cutting is done by finishers. According to Jay Smith of Superior Packaging and Finishing, just about every finisher offers [...]
Continue Reading →Say Hello to Two Sides US
Do you sometimes wish for one resource about print being a green choice? I know I do. There are certainly lots of initiatives out there, from paper companies to printing companies to trade associations. There’s nothing wrong with such a bounty, but we’d all be served by one place to visit and access all of [...]
Continue Reading →Top-of-Mind Challenges for Print Buyers Today
Producing print buyer conferences and crossing paths (both literal and virtual) with thousands of print customers on a regular basis gives me insights I wouldn’t have otherwise. For example, what are their biggest concerns and challenges, as professionals who work with the print industry? Here’s what I’ve come up with. Their top 5 primary concerns: [...]
Continue Reading →Requests for Guest Contributors, 5 Writing Tips, and a Push for Extreme Print Buyers
Want to Write? If you’re in a print buying role – no matter what industry, title, or years of experience – I invite you to submit contributions for this newsletter. I feel it’s critical for other buyers as well as service providers to hear your opinions and insights about working in this field today. So, [...]
Continue Reading →What Exactly Does a Print Manager for a Major Metropolitan Newspaper Do?
Professional print buyers have dozens of different titles and a wide range of responsibilities. It’s part of the role’s allure. No two buyers are alike. Many work within Marketing. Others are part of Purchasing/Procurement, Corporate Communications, or Publications. My background is in corporate print buying, and I’ve never worked for a newspaper except as a [...]
Continue Reading →In Defense of Print
Our Guest Columnist for today’s Print Tip is Mary Ann Fong, the Assistant Director of Creative Services for Temple University in Philadelphia. Mary Ann has 25+ years of experience in the printing industry, from customer service to production management to print sales. She spearheads sustainable print initiatives at Temple and encourages industry peers to adopt [...]
Continue Reading →What’s So Special about Digital Papers?
Samantha Jones of Lindenmeyr Munroe Weighs In Since digital printing is on the rise*, more and more print buyers and designers are spec’ing paper for digital jobs. I wondered: how different is paper for digital printing from offset printing? What should customers know when spec’ing this paper? Last fall, Samantha Jones presented at our 6th [...]
Continue Reading →How Direct Mail Packs a Punch in 7 Ways
What a great event I recently attended! NEDMA (that’s the New England Direct Marketing Association, at www.nedma.com) held an all-day Digital & Direct Mail Marketing Innovations Symposium in Waltham, MA. There were several concurrent sessions with topics including, “Email +”, QR Codes, Advanced Social Media Marketing, and – my favorite – “New Ideas, Formats & [...]
Continue Reading →It Seems to Me (Musings on the Current State of Print Buying)
I was just thinking about what I’m seeing in the print buying world these days. Here’s a random collection of my musings: – Knowledge gaps are getting bigger. The elite print buyers are light years ahead of those entering the field. – On second thought, they’re not really entering “the field” anymore. They’re likely in [...]
Continue Reading →Every Door Direct Mail™
Thanks to a follower on Twitter – Gregg MacMillan (or as I like to call him, @GreggMac) – I learned about a nifty USPS program called Every Door Direct Mail™ (EDDM). Gregg is the President of TechneGraphics, Inc., in Milford, OH. His LinkedIn profile also says he’s an EDDM Expert. In a nutshell, here’s how [...]
Continue Reading →3 Things Every New Print Customer Needs to Know
Commercial printing is very mysterious to first-timers. Print buyers, designers, and marcom pros who suddenly find themselves responsible for getting things printed are at a loss for how to proceed. These three tips are the first pieces of advice I give to every new print customer. 1. Printers are not all the same. You need [...]
Continue Reading →Recipe for a Crazy-Good Printer Open House
Who doesn’t like a party? I know I do. Out of the blue, I was invited by my friend Richard to attend an open house at a printing facility recently. For years I’d heard the name ‘Hannaford & Dumas’ but knew no one there. I’d never been there. A party was the perfect excuse to [...]
Continue Reading →Laser Die Cutting – for that “Wow” Factor
For a great way to “finesse” your finishing on an upcoming marketing campaign or corporate ID package, perhaps you’ll consider laser digital finishing, commonly referred to as “laser die cutting” as well as simply “laser cutting.” Last summer, I got an email from Allison Marten of LasX Industries, Inc., in MN. She’s the firm’s Marketing [...]
Continue Reading →Brown Paper Packages Tied Up with String
Raise your hand if you rush to rip open mail like the one in the picture accompanying this column. I can’t open them fast enough. Last week a package was left on my doorstep, all hand-wrapped and taped to within an inch of its life. I had no clue what secrets it held, but I [...]
Continue Reading →In Defense of Print: 10 Great Resources
Over the past few weeks I’ve gotten many requests for resources to help customers articulate why printing is the “right” choice when deciding on media. More and more, print specifiers feel pressured to defend print as environmentally friendly. They need facts at their fingertips when building a case for print. That’s the motivation behind today’s [...]
Continue Reading →PBI Scores a Win at 6th Annual Print & Media Conference in Chicago
CHESTNUT HILL, MA — October 6, 2011 – The best and brightest minds from some of the country’s biggest organizations converged on McCormick Place in Chicago last month for the year’s most important Conference for print buyers, graphic designers and marketers: the 6th Annual Print & Media Conference. The one-of-a-kind event, produced by Print Buyers [...]
Continue Reading →Sappi’s Daniel Dejan on QR and AR Codes
By Margie Dana Daniel Dejan. Surely, if you’re in graphic design or print production, you know the name. Daniel’s one of the most respected and oft-requested speakers on a dozen different topics, such as Life with Print, Intro to Color Management, Paper Essentials, Environment and Sustainability, Varnishes & Coatings, and Print in the New Media [...]
Continue Reading →Make Print Your Launching Pad to Online Content and Greater ROI
By Guest Contributor and PBI Sponsor Jeff Hopp PBI Sponsors are invited to write a Print Tip. Today’s Print Tip is by Jeff Hopp of Ripon Printers (www.riponprinters.com) in WI. Ripon was a sponsor at our Print & Media Conference in Chicago recently. They have been PBI conference sponsors for several years. The question today [...]
Continue Reading →Print Buyers Love Printers Who
By Margie Dana This is a blog post I wrote earlier this year for PIWorld.com. I’ve edited it a bit. Apropos of my flying off to Chicago for our annual PBI conference, I thought I’d list some of the reasons why print buyers love their printers. Consider it a public shout out to the printing [...]
Continue Reading →Top 10 Reasons to Do a Plant Tour
By Margie Dana I know you’re busy. Who isn’t? But if the responsibility for getting things printed is yours, you need to get out and visit printers’ facilities. Plenty of professional print buyers and creatives wouldn’t think of giving a printer a job until they’ve done the plant tour and seen for themselves the equipment [...]
Continue Reading →Who in the World Is D. Eadward Tree?
By Margie Dana For the past few years, I’ve been intrigued by one very mysterious blogger, D. Eadward Tree. Surely, you’ve read his work. He’s got the best name in the biz. His blogs pop up in various trade media as well as in several LinkedIn groups. This is what his official profile says: “By [...]
Continue Reading →Learning about Color Management
By Margie Dana Daniel Dejan is one of those names I use as a litmus test in this industry. If someone’s not heard of Daniel, it means they are fairly new to the field or not really serious about it. He has been a constant at our PBI events because he’s the best. Experienced, well [...]
Continue Reading →Direct Mail and Baby Boomers
Baby Boomers, Ergonomics and Direct Mail By Guest Contributor Paul Prisco From time to time, people in the industry send me articles. Designer Paul Prisco wrote today’s article about designing mail for Baby Boomers. I relate because, well, yes, I’m a Boomer. I chuckle at the suggestion that Boomers might not be dexterous enough to [...]
Continue Reading →From Digital to Analog? All Hail the Past!
By Margie Dana In the glorious heat of the summer, we should slow down long enough to give a shout out to our past – past communicating methods, that is. Last week I came across a couple of news items about earlier days of printing and publishing that tickled my fancy. I couldn’t make this [...]
Continue Reading →The Bold & the Beautiful: Look What Came in the Mail
By Margie Dana Every once in a while something slips through the mail slot that catches my eye immediately. It may be a design, or a unique size or shape, or a headline that calls out my name. Last week, it was a petite 4 x 6” postcard that – despite its diminutive size – [...]
Continue Reading →Bypassing the Print Buyer
By Margie Dana Almost every time I speak to an audience of printers, this question comes up: Should print service providers go around print buyers to get to C-level executives? If I ask print buyers this question, the answer is always no. If I ask printers, the answer is usually yes. Here’s what I think. [...]
Continue Reading →A Small Piece about Large-Format Printing
By Margie Dana Last week I got a request from a reader to define “large-format.” The term wasn’t yet in our online Print Buyer Glossary – nor could I find it on the Internet in any industry glossaries I located. Peculiar, right? I reached out to one of our 2010 Print & Media Conference sponsors: [...]
Continue Reading →I Am a Printer
While walking through the amazing Museum of Printing in North Andover last week, I spied the following text on a small poster on a wall. The title stopped me in my tracks. I read it and was very moved. Frank Romano is the author. He gave me permission to reprint it. It is truly food [...]
Continue Reading →Steven Schnoll on the Topic of Cross-Media Strategies
I love my job. Through it, I get to meet all sorts of interesting people in the industry. In October, I chaired the Print Buyer Forum at Graph Expo in Chicago. One of our Forum speakers was Steven Schnoll, the Managing Director of Schnoll Media Consulting. His topic? Using Cross Media Strategies to Improve Your [...]
Continue Reading →Nobody Puts Print Buyers in a Corner
Professional print buyers are too often underestimated. I’m not talking about newcomers who’ve yet to learn the business. Give them time. I’m not talking about occasional print buyers who are asked by a manager (usually against their will) to get something printed a few times a year. And I am most certainly not talking about [...]
Continue Reading →Say Hello to SmartMail
Do you know what print buyers and graphic designers like? New things. A concept, product, process or technology that they haven’t heard of or seen before – something that sets a light bulb off over their heads. Something they can show to their marketing team or creative director, who are also hankering for innovative concepts. [...]
Continue Reading →Sound Bites that Struck a Chord from the 5th Annual PBI Conference
As I write this Tip, it’s too soon to say with certainty that our print & media conference last week was a grand slam, but it felt that way. Unsolicited feedback I received within two days include these comments: “I was impressed by the quality of the discussions and presentations. I truly believe you take [...]
Continue Reading →You’re a Martian
As a professional print buyer, you’re part of an elite group that operates below the radar. People outside of the graphics field don’t know what a print buyer is and won’t understand what it is you do. Even your family and friends won’t “get” what it is you do. It’s as though you’re part of [...]
Continue Reading →Things I Learned from Print Buyers
The more I interact with professional print buyers, the more I learn about so many things. Like, how they think. What they need. Where they’re heading. And how I can possibly be a linchpin for helping them get where they need to go and be what they need to be. At this year’s Print Buyer [...]
Continue Reading →Top 10 Things You Might Not Know About Paper
You may already know Jack Miller, the “Paper Guru.” I met Jack several years ago when he attended one of our events, and I recognized back then that he truly is a paper expert. Ever since then, I count Jack among my top resources when it comes to questions about the paper industry – and [...]
Continue Reading →I Know What Print Buyers Want
Today’s Print Tip originally ran as a blog post for Printing Impressions (www.piworld.com) a short while ago. Earlier this summer, a printer emailed me to ask if I had a handy list of what print buyers want. A “simple list” is what he actually called it. There’s nothing simple about such a list, because print [...]
Continue Reading →I Know What Print Buyers Don’t Want
A couple of times a month, I blog for Printing Impressions (www.piworld.com) on print buyer issues. Here’s a post of mine from several weeks ago. In an upcoming Print Tip, I’ll share a list of what buyers DO want. Last week a printer emailed me, asking if I had a handy list of what print [...]
Continue Reading →Go Outside
Thank God for new media. It’s through these e-channels that I’ve recognized how important it is to look beyond what I know and be open to all that I don’t. Take the printing industry. Those of us in and “of” it need to get outside more. We need to branch out in terms of what [...]
Continue Reading →Life with Print
Whether you’ve never heard Daniel Dejan speak, or you count yourself among his army of groupies, I encourage you not to miss his visit with us in Westford this year – our 5th conference and his 5th appearance. Daniel, the North American ETC Print & Creative Manager for Sappi Fine Paper, is famous in the [...]
Continue Reading →Do Yourself a Favor & Don’t Drop In
I admit it: I’ve never sold printing. But I can speak as a print customer. When I bought millions in commercial and financial printing from the mid-eighties to late nineties, it was totally acceptable for print reps to drop by unannounced. “Skip Jones from Nimrod is here,” said the receptionist. “Send him back!” I’d reply. [...]
Continue Reading →Labels of a Different Dimension: Doming!
One of the greatest things about print manufacturing is that no one knows everything about it. I love learning about new processes. It happened recently when an email from Doug Billings of Empire Screen Printing in Onalaska, WI, popped up in my inbox. He’s the VP of Sales & Marketing at Empire. Doug mentioned that, [...]
Continue Reading →Insights from a Professional Print Buyer
Our print buyer panel at this fall’s 5th Annual Print & Media Conference has a different twist than previous ones. This year, I selected print production pros who have initiated or been largely responsible for specific successes in their departments or organizations. They’ll share their success stories on Wednesday, November 3rd. When you register for [...]
Continue Reading →It Takes a Team
Every summer we produce direct mail pieces to promote our fall conference. A postcard and a brochure get sent to specific audiences – people who’d make ideal attendees – like print buyers, graphic designers, and marketing professionals who oversee media campaigns. Our postcards and show brochure are typical in that a team is involved. So [...]
Continue Reading →Resume for a Print Rep
It’s occurred to me that print reps should have two resumes: one for prospective employers and another for prospective customers. Think about it: what if print reps had to show you their qualification on paper? What would impress you? Let’s look at the typical sections of a traditional resume and think how they’d be handled. [...]
Continue Reading →Directed Buy Programs (Part 3): The Paper Guru Speaks Out
In this third and final Print Tip on Directed Buy Programs, I asked for the insights of Jack Miller, aka the Paper Guru. Jack is one of the most knowledgeable paper experts I know. He will be presenting “The Mystery of Paper Prices Explained” at our 5th Annual Print & Media Conference on November 3rd. [...]
Continue Reading →Directed Buy Paper Programs (Part 2): Customers Speak Out
Last month, I wrote Part One of a Print Tip about directed buy programs. To read that Tip, please visit our Print Tips Archives page for 2010, where you’ll find it listed for May 10, 2010. In the briefest of explanations, think of directed buy programs like so: Most of the time, printers purchase the [...]
Continue Reading →BPOs in the Print Space
On May 12th, I hosted my first Print Buying Basics webinar, which included a look at the six models for sourcing print. One of these six – the BPO – stood out like a sore thumb for two reasons: 1) many attendees were unfamiliar with the concept; and 2) this model is very different from [...]
Continue Reading →Standout Printers
A few times a month, I get to sound off in a blog for Printing Impressions over at www.piworld.com. I’m one of many bloggers for PI. I thought that my latest post would generate comments from my Tips readers. You can agree or disagree: I’d love your comments on this one. Here’s that post, which [...]
Continue Reading →A Little-Known Specialty: Graphics Installers
Teach me something that I think print customers would benefit from, and I’m happy to write about it. Dan Marx, VP of Markets and Technologies for SGIA (Specialty Graphic Imaging Association), did just that two weeks ago. He wrote to me about something called “graphics installers.” I knew nothing about them and picked up the [...]
Continue Reading →The Power of Unexpected Service
Not once, not twice, but three times in as many months I have been delighted by unexpected gestures of great service during purchasing transactions. First, there was the “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” near-miss. My favorite computer games are the Harry Potter series. When I needed to replace this particular CD, I bought [...]
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