Mag
Inkjet canvas options offer versatility
May 01, 2011Every printer knows that great printing starts with quality materials. In Part 1 of this two-part series, AMERICAN PRINTER offers the skinny on the latest offerings in paper and ink. LexJet is diversifying its canvas line with neutral white/OBA-free and bright white inkjet printable canvas products, Sunset Reserve Matte Canvas and Sunset Reserve Bright Matte Canvas. They round out a diverse portfolio
Creativity in the digital age
May 01, 2011Sappi Fine Paper North America launches the Flo Channel: Off Register, its online comedy video series developed with VSA Partners and aimed at the print community. The new video series features stories told by Second City Improv that demonstrate the trials and tribulations of what printers encounter daily, as they aim to please their demanding, edgy, black-glasses-wearing clients. The next video in
How many hickeys for you?
May 01, 2011When it comes to removing hickeys caused by substrate or press conditions, the arguments rage as to what works. In my experience, for most items to work, it is a matter of extent and implementation. Consider the pros and cons of these cleaning methods. Jogger/aerators These units turn the load, jog, aerate and position the substrate on the skid. Aerate is the key word. Blowing out all loose coating
Ink prices rising (again)
May 01, 2011With raw material costs continuing to escalate and crude oil prices climbing, ink companies have been raising prices. Flint Group (www.flintgrp.com) recently initiated a 5% increase in its sheetfed offset ink prices. In April, Flint announced further price hikes for all packaging and narrow-web inks in North America effective May 1, 2011. Water and solvent-based products will increase 8% with the
Affordable solution for high-end graphics
May 01, 2011Roland DGA introduces the Blue Back Matte Paper media for its award-winning wide-format, ecosolvent inkjet printers and printer/cutters, including VersaCAMM, VersaArt and SOLJET models. A medium weight, 5-mil media, Roland Blue Back Matte paper is an affordable solution for creating high-quality indoor posters, displays and POP graphics, as well as temporary signs and bus shelter inserts. Quick drying,
Step away from the e-blast
May 01, 2011Excerpt: It is critical to categorize customers when conducting e-blasts and direct mail. Begin with a defined process, a discipline and the right customer relationship management (CRM) software. Then get to know your customers and segment appropriately. Don't forget to train sales reps on the importance of this information and how information will be used. Simplify based on customer information that
PDF and VDP
May 01, 2011Wouldn't it be great if PDF could do variable data, and do it well? Dov Isaacs, principal scientist, workflow & interoperability, Adobe Systems, presents at the Ghent Workgroup's (www.gwg.org) seminar in Chicago, April 27, 2011. He says printers can expect to see more developments in this area in time for Drupa 2012.
Best practices for printing on recycled paper
May 01, 2011Excerpt: Because high-recycled printing papers (those with 90% recovered fiber) are newer to the market than conventional papers, the process modifications required to print on them are not widely known. Recycled paper is comparable with conventional paper in terms of quality, price and press performance. (Take a close look at the inside pages of this May 2011 issue of AMERICAN PRINTER, which is printed
Photographic look-and-feel for EP output
May 01, 2011The Professional Endura electrophotographic printing (EP) papers by Kodak utilize proprietary E-surface technology to create high-quality, photo-grade media for EP presses, offering the look, feel and surface of photographic paper. With these papers, customers can intermix media output from silver-halide printers and digital presses. This new line of paper works well on equipment that uses dry ink/toner-based
Ecofriendly coated paper
May 01, 2011Unisource introduces PorcelainECO, a premium coated paper that is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain-of-Custody certified and has a post-consumer waste (PCW) content of 10%. See www.unisourceworldwide.com.
New routes, wrong turns & the road less traveled
May 01, 2011Very few of my readers work from home. Even if you are in sales and spend most of your time on the road, you still have an office you must visit regularly. As for the rest of us, we spend every day in an office or a factory. This means we commute between work and home twice daily, five to seven days per week. Whether our trip is five blocks or 50 miles, each of us has found the best way to get to
We love these legends
May 01, 2011Family ties: Bob Ott celebrates 66 years in printing Every day, without fail, whether a weekday or weekend, Robert B. Ott Sr. walked into The Hennegan Co. office wearing a white shirt and tie. In honor of his final day on the job, the entire office wore white shirts and ties. I've just always worn a tie, and I didn't stop when everything got more casual, says Ott, who served as president of the company
Paper gets much respect
May 01, 2011A companion follow-up to the Monadnock's popular Respect Nature promo Respect Design is said to be both an educational and provocative addition to the series. The promotion showcases bold images from nature and contrasts these with images of outstanding achievement in architecture industrial design and fashion. Respect Design offers several print demonstrations featuring high-resolution multi-color
Not while I'm around
May 01, 2011In 1976, schoolyards were abuzz with the latest achievement in gum technology: Bubble Yum. Unlike established brands such as Bazooka or Double Bubble, Bubble Yum wasn't rock hard. But then dark rumors began to circulate. Evil whispers swirled around the playground about a secret ingredient that was responsible for the gum's pillowy texture. Soon kids everywhere knew about it. According to those who
Teachable transactional documents
May 01, 2011Consumers are taking more control than ever, dictating to businesses how they want to be communicated with, what they expect and how businesses can deliver. Delivering tips that your customers are looking for before they even realize they are looking for it is a great way to enhance your relationship. For many businesses, this can be achieved most effectively by educating and helping customers make
Redesigned fiber paper allows superior images
May 01, 2011Rolland Enviro100 Digital is a 100% post-consumer fiber paper. Manufactured using local and renewable biogas energy, the paper is FSC-, EcoLogo and Processed Chlorine Free certified. Enviro 100 Digital offers an improved whiteness and brightness as well as a much smoother finish, which provides even more vibrant colors. As a complement to Rolland Enviro100 Satin for commercial printing, this paper
Market smarts
Apr 01, 2011Paul Strack enjoys change, a characteristic that has helped him successfully lead his family's print business through very competitive times. After five years as a certified public accountant, learning about business through auditing work, he joined his parents' company in 1990 as a print sales and business development manager. One of the conditions when I came to work for my folks was that I didn't
Print vehicles extend their brands
Apr 01, 2011Thumb Media Group (TMG) is a division of Fry Communications and National Publisher Services. TMG's mobile publishing platform provides a rich media presentation on almost any smart phone. NYLON magazine's mobile edition incorporates Mozine 4.0 and features integrated advertising campaigns from Fortune 500 brands. TMG partnered with mobile ad agency iVdopia
Preserving memories
Apr 01, 2011John F. Jacobson, Jr., is a busy man, thanks to photo books. His travels have taken him from Dscoop, the annual conference for HP press users, to the trade shows of the Photo Marketing Assn. (PMA) and Wedding and Portrait Photographers Assn. Jacobson, the president of On Demand Machinery (ODM) in Elizabeth, NJ, also is logging plenty of international air miles Asia is a fast growing market for his
Picture perfect
Apr 01, 2011Photo book categories include general albums, wedding albums and specialty books. All-purpose albums are big business for Blurb, Lulu, MyPublisher.com, Kodak Gallery (orginally Ofoto), Shutterfly and Snapfish. Wedding albums command a premium price, thanks to leather cases, gold foil, special papers and other extras. Specialty books are another high-end market, with museums and real estate companies
Brand identity as a mobile trigger
Apr 01, 2011Los Angeles-based Warbasse Design CEO and art director Philip Warbasse recently announced an important shift in integrated media, based on his firm's partnership with machine vision company WiMO Reality. Warbasse is known for integrating printed 2-D codes with mobile web applications in projects such as Disney's TRON Legacy and HBO's True Blood (see Quick Response, July 2010). This new alliance brings
Dscoop rallies the digital print troops
Apr 01, 2011Founded in 2005, Dscoop (the Digital Solutions Cooperative) is an independent global community of graphic arts business owners and technical professionals who use HP Indigo and Scitex equipment and related solutions. The group held its sixth annual conference in Orlando this February. The numbers were impressive: 2,000+ total attendees, 95 exhibitors and 120 educational sessions. Last year's event
Who needs Phil Collins?
Apr 01, 2011Spontaneous and outrageous dancing broke out during Don Goldman's 2009 trip to Senegal with his Salem, MA, drum circle. Goldman, an MIS guru, supports humanitarian projects via African Development through Drum and Dance (A3D). The group has provided computers and sewing machines to two schools near Dakar. A $6,000 A3D donation funded the construction of 100 badly needed desks. Incorporating a welded
The players
Apr 01, 2011Using image recognition and OCR technology, WiMO Reality provides a unique platform for Warbasse and his elite group of mobile designers and developers to bring new marketing strategies to their clients and share their experiences with Wimo. Wimo Reality has impressed us from the start as an extremely forward-thinking company that is focused on long-range opportunities with both 2-D codes and image
From radical workflow concept to mature standard
Apr 01, 2011In the late 1990s, John Harrison and Michael Jahn, then with Agfa, gave many people their first glimpse of a PDF-powered workflow. Their evangelism included a book, video interviews with industry leaders, and a 50-city tour with speakers from Adobe and Agfa. Agfa's Peter Broderick with Patrick Gypen, Connie Ohlsten and Christel Van den Eynde helped us develop an unprecedented program, recalls Harrison.
