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 →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 →Dear Print Buyer, the Future Is Now
By Guest Author Jeffrey Dickerson Hey print buyer, your future is disrupted! Dr. Joe Webb says so, and he is not wrong. If you have read his book, “Disrupting the Future,” or his recent article on the PBI site on 12/1/2012, “Dr. Joe Lays It on the Line,” you should be motivated to think about [...]
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 →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 →The Mother of All Challenges for Corporate Print Buyers Today
Like a bride too busy to enjoy her own wedding day, I’m just now looking back on our recent Print & Media Conference to digest the experience and articulate the take-aways. Feedback I collected from a follow-up survey helped, and certainly, phone calls and emails from folks who were there also contributed to the sum-and-substance [...]
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 →Early Bird Rates in Effect for Print & Media 2012
CHESTNUT HILL, MA — September 27, 2012 – Attendees can still register at Early Bird rates for the upcoming 7th Annual Print & Media Conference from October 8th – 10th at McCormick Place in Chicago. The annual program, hosted by Print Buyers International (PBI) founder Margie Dana, is the leading source of professional education for [...]
Continue Reading →Reaching Print Buyers Today
Print buyers are an eclectic bunch. Their personal preferences dictate how they source print and related services, how they prefer to be contacted by prospective providers, and how they best “absorb” education. I’ve been doing my research on this topic for my presentation next month at Graph Expo: “The New Print Buyers: How to Reach [...]
Continue Reading →13 REASONS TO ATTEND PBI PRINT & MEDIA CONFERENCE!
Where would we be without our Print & Media sponsors? I’ll tell you: nowhere. PBI Print & Media sponsors are service providers in the industry. They care about educating professional print customers. They have a wide range of capabilities that they’re excited about - and our lucky attendees will learn first-hand what they are 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 →Margie Dana to Speak at Graph Expo 2012
CHESTNUT HILL, MA — August 28, 2012 – Recognizing the need to offer attendees top-notch learning opportunities at the largest graphic communications exhibition for the Americas in 2012, Margie Dana is one of the industry experts who will present at this year’s GRAPH EXPO. Her session, entitled, “The New Breed of Print Buyers: Reaching Them [...]
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 →UCDA Design Conference: mélange
UCDA Design Conference: mélange A BLENDING OF DESIGN + CULTURE October 13-16, 2012 Montreal, Quebec, Canada OLD + NEW. TRADITIONAL + REVOLUTIONARY. WORK + HOME. What exists in-between is where we flourish. It’s where we find collaboration within our work environment, where print + digital projects are paired together, where our personal life meets our [...]
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 →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 →An Educated Customer Is the Best Customer
The echo of the slogan from a clothing retailer always stuck with me: “An educated consumer is our best customer.” I want to encourage every printer to take it to heart. Are you educating your customers? You should be. Now, many printers have told me (in a wink-wink, nudge-nudge kind of way) that they’d rather [...]
Continue Reading →Early Birds Catch Discounts on 7th Annual Print & Media Conference
CHESTNUT HILL, MA — June 29, 2012 – Fast-acting print buyers, graphic designers and marketers who sign up now to attend the 7th Annual Print & Media Conference will enjoy juicy rewards for their efforts. The much-anticipated Conference for people who purchase, design for or market with print is offering generous Early Bird discounts (up [...]
Continue Reading →Early Bird Sponsors Catch Big Advantages for 7th Annual Print & Media Conference
CHESTNUT HILL, MA — June 25, 2012 – What’s the surest way to grow your audience among senior professionals who purchase, design for, or market with print? Become a sponsor of the 7th Annual Print & Media Conference on October 8th – 10th, 2012, at McCormick Place in Chicago. Hosted by Margie Dana and Print [...]
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 →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 →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 →PBI Scores High with Attendees, Sponsors at PBI BOSTON
CHESTNUT HILL, MA — April 26, 2012 – The leading independent organization for people who purchase, design for, or market with print and e-media triumphed on its home turf once again with the 2012 PBI Print & Media Boston Conference. Print Buyers International (PBI) returned to the Hub on April 11, 2012 with a new-to-Boston, [...]
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 →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 →Top 10 Reasons to Attend PBI BOSTON
Top 10 Reasons to Attend PBI BOSTON You know you need the education & professional networking we’re offering at PBI BOSTON on April 11th – but does your boss understand where the value is? Check out these Top 10 Reasons to Attend. I think they’ll help you state your case. 1. You’ll learn the Best [...]
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 →Guess Who’s Coming to Boston?
Guess Who’s Coming to Boston? It’s pretty amazing. The professionals signing up for our PBI BOSTON on April 11th represent so many industries – colleges and universities, health care, software, medical imaging equipment, creative agencies, financial services, retail, insurance – even America’s leading brewer of handcrafted beers! Oh, the things I do for print buyers. [...]
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 →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 →I Got 3 Rock Stars to Speak at PBI Boston!
A large part of what attracts attendees to any conference is who’s speaking. Duh. I know that it’s one of the first things I look at when considering whether or not to attend an event myself. So it’s with incredible pride that I share with you why our April 11th PBI Boston show ROCKS. In [...]
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 →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 →PBI Print & Media Boston Conference Opens for Registration
CHESTNUT HILL, MA — January 9, 2012 – Just seven months after rocking Chicago with the 6th Annual Print & Media Conference in September, Print Buyers International (PBI) will touch down in Boston with a one-day Print & Media Boston Conference for professionals who purchase, design for or market with print and e-media on Wednesday, [...]
Continue Reading →Looking Ahead to 2017: What Will Become of Print?
To kick off 2012, I asked three people whom I greatly admire to weigh in on this thought: It’s the year 2017. In 100 words or less, please describe what the print industry looks like. From Frank Romano, Professor Emeritus at RIT, world-renowned print industry authority, consultant, author, speaker and educator 2017 Amidst the clutter [...]
Continue Reading →Never Underestimate the Power of the Equipment List
One thing that separates experienced print customers from novices is the printer’s equipment list. They are a positively essential tool for experienced customers. On the other hand, new buyers and designers aren’t familiar enough with print manufacturing capabilities to know what a list means. It’s Greek to them. But give them time. Earlier this month [...]
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 →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 →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 →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 →Things I Learned from Print Buyers
By Margie Dana This is not an official recount of our Print & Media Conference by any means. I got home from Chicago at 1:30 am this morning (as I write this) and needed to share some of my reflections before another week passed. The vast majority of our 100 attendees were print/media customers, not [...]
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 →Sponsor Registration Opens for 6th Annual Print & Media Conference
CHESTNUT HILL, MA— June 17, 2011— If you serve people who work at the intersection of print and digital media, now is the time to grow your business by sponsoring PBI’s 6th Annual Print & Media Conference. This 2-day Conference on Tuesday, September 13th and Wednesday, September 14th, is the year’s most important professional program [...]
Continue Reading →Show Us Your Mobile Barcodes!
By Margie Dana One of the industry’s leading experts in direct mail marketing is Christine Erna, whom I like to call the “Diva of Direct Mail.” She knows more about direct mail and the USPS than anyone else I know. She’s spoken at several of our PBI conferences and is my #1 go-to resource for [...]
Continue Reading →The Future of Print Buying
By Margie Dana Everyone involved in the print industry seems to be focused on the future of printing – not (as Seinfeld used to say) that there’s anything wrong with that. But I’m interested in the future of print buying. What will the roles of professional print buyers (whatever title they hold) look like? How [...]
Continue Reading →Print Buyers International (PBI) Launches New Web Site
CHESTNUT HILL, MA— June 2, 2011—In a year filled with milestones for Print Buyers International (PBI), the organization has added another landmark achievement to its growing list: the complete makeover and re-launch of the PBI web site. Located at www.printbuyersinternational.com, the new site picks up where the former Boston Print Buyers (BPB) web site left [...]
Continue Reading →I’ve met the future of the print industry. His name is Matt.
By Margie Dana One of the best things about working in this field is meeting new people. When I produce events or get invited to speak for a group or trade association, it’s something I most look forward to. Listening to other peoples’ stories. Learning what got them into the print business. Uncovering other passions [...]
Continue Reading →6th Annual PBI Print & Media Conference to Co-Locate at Graph Expo 2011 in Chicago, September 13th – 14th
CHESTNUT HILL, MA — April 15, 2011- Print Buyers International (PBI) has announced the 6th Annual Print & Media Conference will be held at GRAPH EXPO in Chicago, Tuesday, September 13 – Wednesday, 14, 2011. Leading into the Conference will be the popular, full-day PBI Boot Camp™ on Monday, September 12th. The news, which creates …
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 →Why I’m Thankful for Printed Goods
As I finalized our Thanksgiving dinner menu for my guests, I flashed back to memories of the Gallo Family Thanksgiving extravaganzas all those years ago. There was jumbo shrimp cocktail, an antipasti platter the size of a sled, my mother’s famous lasagna, followed by the turkey, several vegetables, glistening bowls of black and green olives, [...]
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 →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 →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 →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 →Recipe for a Successful Conference? “Get with the Program”
If you’ve spoken with me over the past few months and found me preoccupied, please forgive me. Producing an annual educational conference is like having a wedding once a year – without the gifts or having to squeeze into a white gown. While finding the venue is absolutely key, that step’s a breeze when compared [...]
Continue Reading →Getting Creative Using Digital Printing for Your Marketing Materials
I’ll bet that print materials are a major factor in your firm’s marketing campaigns. These days, it’s a safe bet that some of those materials are produced on digital presses. It got me to thinking: Why not interview a printer about a project in which some or all components were printed digitally? For today’s Print [...]
Continue Reading →Defining Print? Not So Fast. Not So Easy.
It’s no one’s fault that most people don’t understand what we mean when we say, “We work with printers.” Or, in my case, “I write about printing.” (Cue standard reply: “What is there to write about?”) Defining printing when you discuss your work is tricky, n’est-ce pas? The word printer means something entirely different to [...]
Continue Reading →Buying Print As a Nonprofit: Are There Special Concerns?
Earlier this year, I read an article in the Boston Business Journal entitled, “Nonprofit Annual Reports Cut the Flash, Save Cash,” by Mary Moore. Without reading one word beyond this headline, I knew (and you know) what was coming: companies are scaling back the once-mighty and glossy annuals in order to reduce expenses. Maybe they’re [...]
Continue Reading →What to Look for on a Printing Plant Tour
Last week at Boot Camp for Print Designers!™, the topic of doing a printing plant tour generated an interesting discussion. Some of the attendees agreed that a tour is important – but others saw little value if any in going to the trouble of visiting a printing plant. As long as their job was done [...]
Continue Reading →Teaching Designers about Print. One Day at a Time.
As far as I can tell, graphic designers learn about printing just like every other print buyer: from printers, from their own day-to-day experience, from paper specialists, and from one another. In addition, designers (unlike print buyers) have lots of publications and organizations catering to them. Off the top of my head, GDUSA, Communication Arts, [...]
Continue Reading →With Eyes Wide Open, We Welcome 2010
Let’s take what we know from last year and start 2010 reenergized. I’m not suggesting we ignore the painful losses that rained down on the printing industry like a shower of sharp needles. I may be optimistic, but I am not naïve. Instead, let’s resolve to invigorate our careers, our businesses and our US printing [...]
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